When I Take That Ride
by theangelCas
Summary: With the zombie apocalypse seemingly averted, Dean and Castiel are prepared to move Heaven and Earth (and maybe even more) to find Megan and bring her back. Meanwhile, Sam makes some discoveries on Earth that may have him spiraling down a rabbit hole he never meant to fall into. Sequel to "Dead Already".
1. The Beginning

_**With the zombie apocalypse seemingly averted, Dean and Castiel are prepared to move Heaven and Earth (and maybe even more) to find Megan and bring her back. Meanwhile, Sam makes some discoveries on Earth that may have him spiraling down a rabbit hole he never meant to fall into.**_

_**Sorry it's not he best description, but you get the idea!**_

_**This is the sequel to my other story, **_**Dead Already****_. If you haven't read that one yet, go check it out before you get to this one!_**

_**For this story, I plan on making each chapter longer than **_**Dead Already****_ (which averaged a little over 1100 words per chapter), but that means I won't update quite as often. Sorry!_**

_**Please enjoy, and review to let me know what you think!**_

"Dean!"

Castiel's harsh voice came out of nowhere, almost causing Dean to lose control of the steering wheel. He had been driving down the road, in his precious Impala, alone, when suddenly, there was a passenger beside him.

"Jesus, Cas. I told you not to do that when I'm driving." Not that he could actually injure himself here. It was Heaven, after all. "At least give me a little warning."

"There's no time for that." Cas' blunt tone had Dean worried. Sure, down on Earth, Castiel was _always_ abrasive. But ever since they had spent time together up in Heaven, the angel had seemed to soften quite a bit.

Life, or rather, lack there of, had been pretty peaceful. He and Castiel had become quite close, and Dean actually ended up liking the guy.

In fact, the only issue he had with Heaven, was that there was no Sam. It was a pretty substantial problem.

Cas wasn't always in Heaven with him. He would leave for long periods of time, and Dean wasn't entirely sure where he went. But he never bothered him about it, because he knew Cas had more important things to do than be with him.

"Well spit it out, Cas. What is it?"

"I think I may have found Megan."

The Impala came to an abrupt halt. "You found her? How? Where?"

"I am not certain, but I have reason to believe she is in Purgatory."

"Purgatory?" Dean repeated. "As in Limbo?"

"Yes, sort of. You see, Human souls end up in Heaven, like your own. Corrupted human souls go to Hell, again, like your own. They are twisted and corrupted further until they become demons. But not every soul in the universe is Human."

Dean raised his brow. "Wait, you mean... Monsters? Monsters have souls?"

Castiel nodded. "They, too, have souls. And when they die, they go to Purgatory."

"But Megan isn't a monster!" Dean protested. "And neither are you! Why would you go to Purgatory?"

"I don't have a soul, Dean." Castiel explained. "When I die... there is no soul to end up anywhere. As far as I can tell, I would simply cease to exist."

"But Megan..."

"Megan was human. For a short period of time, true, but it was enough. She gave up her grace for a soul, and although her grace was eventually returned to her body, her soul never left."

Dean shook his head. This was a lot to take in.

"Her soul and her grace... combined. She wasn't fully angelic, or fully human. I believe that's why she is now in Purgatory."

Dean stared down at the steering wheel. They knew where she was. He didn't know how to get to Purgatory, but it didn't matter. That had never stopped him before. He would figure it out.

"How do you know all of this, Cas? I thought you didn't know what happened to angels after they died?"

Castiel frowned. "I talked to another angel. A more... knowledgeable one. His name is Joshua. He... he wants to speak to you."

"To me? Why?"

"I do not know. But I think you should." Castiel looked at Dean, sympathetically. He knew how hard it was going to be to enter Purgatory. And he also knew nothing was going to stop Dean from getting there. "I can take you to him. He is in the Garden."

Dean nodded. "If he'll help us, then yes. We should talk to him."

"We? You want me to join you?" Castiel asked, surprised. Dean was quite independent. He thought this was something he would want to do alone.

"Well, yeah. Unless you have some other plans. If you haven't noticed, I don't exactly get along with the _halo __crowd_, all that much."

"Oh, I see. We should be going then." Castiel reached forward and pressed his fingers against Deans forehead.

When Dean opened his eyes, they were not longer in his car. Suddenly they were... "Where is this place? It feels familiar."

Castiel glanced around. This was different from the Garden he had just been in. The Garden appears different to everyone, and it seemed to be listening to Dean, now.

"This, is the Cleveland Botanical Gardens." Dean turned to see a man approaching them. He was smiling, staring at Dean. "You went here on a field trip, once."

"Okaaay..." Dean glanced at Castiel. "So I'm guessing you must be Joshua, then."

Joshua nodded. "That, I am. It's good to meet you, Dean Winchester."

Dean gave him a weird look, but did not return the greeting. "Cas said you wanted to talk to me."

"I did. But I think it is _you_ who wants to speak with me."

Dean sighed. "See, Cas. This is why I need you. Angels like to talk in riddles."

"We need to get to Megan, the angel. You said she was in Purgatory." Castiel explained to Joshua.

"Oh, yes, Nisroc. And you think I can help you?"

"You tell me. You seem to know enough about it." Dean didn't want to chat with the angel. He just wanted to find Megan.

Joshua paused. "Yes, I can help you find your friend. But I can only do so much. The rest is up to you." Dean got a weird feeling as Joshua's' eyes tracked him. He could feel the angel staring at him, studying him like an animal. He often got that feeling around angels- even Cas at first. It as like they were trying to figure him out, decipher his mannerisms and read his mind. He really, really hated that.

"Look, I'll do whatever it takes. I just need to know what I'm doing."

Joshua smiled at him. "I knew I would like you, Dean. So strong-willed. So naive. I have a spell. A spell that will open the gates to Purgatory. I have already discussed it with your friend, here. The spell itself won't be too hard, but the rest..."

"Never mind that. That's up to me." Castiel interrupted. "You said you needed to ask Dean something."

Joshua's gaze flickered between the two of them. "No, it's quite alright. I believe I already have my answer. I suppose you're ready to go?"

"Yes, just as we discussed."

"Wait, you already discussed?" Dean looked to Castiel for confirmation.

"Yes, when I talked to him last. It's all worked out, already. The only reason I brought you to him was so he could meet you." Castiel heard something he couldn't quite recognize in Dean's voice, and he didn't like it.

"You plan on going into Purgatory? Alone?"

"It's the only way." Castiel explained. He didn't know exactly why Dean was angry about this, but he could tell he was. "The angels won't spare anyone else. It's too dangerous, and in their eyes, unnecessary."

"You won't go?" Dean challenged Joshua. "You said you wanted to help."

"I'm sorry, Dean. I would, but it is not possible right now. I have other matters to tend to."

"Like what?"

"I cannot say."

Dean groaned. Angels were never straightforward. "Fine. I'll go."

Castiel's eyes widened in surprise. "Dean, I don't think that is the best idea."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous-"

"Exactly! I can't just let you go alone, Cas. This is at _least_ a two person job." There was no way Dean was going to hang back safely in Heaven while Cas dove into the hells of Purgatory without so much as a sidekick. Not that Dean was his sidekick- of anything in was the other way around, Dean noted to himself- but regardless, he needed someone with him, and Dean was willing to be that someone.

"I don't know..." Castiel had never been in Purgatory, but he had heard plenty about it. It was a dangerous place, full of ancient and modern monsters alike. Dean was a decent hunter, but he had never dealt with anything like _this_.

"Come on, Cas. You're my friend. Let me do this."

Castiel frowned. "How would that work?" He asked Joshua. "Can we do that? Bring a human soul to Purgatory?"

"Humans are not meant to be in Purgatory," Joshua admitted. "But then again, neither are angels. If we can get you in, we can get him in."

"So you'll help us open Purgatory with that spell?"

Joshua nodded. "I can give it to you. But you must hurry to gather the supplies. The spell will only work when performed during the eclipse."

"That only gives us a couple of days," Castiel muttered to himself, thinking. "I must go to Earth now. Dean, are you ready to go?"

"Now? To Earth?" Dean didn't think he'd ever be going back to Earth. Purgatory was one thing, but Earth... Earth was home. He wasn't sure he'd want to go back upstairs after spending time down there again.

"Yes. The ritual must take place there, anyway. You won't be in your body, of course... you'll just be a spirit."

Dean nodded. That was better, really. It wouldn't feel as permanent. "I guess we should go, then."

"Good luck to the both of you," Joshua put his hand on their shoulders. "Come back and see me when you find Nisroc- or, Megan, sorry. I'd like to see her, again "

_**The title of this story is taken from the poem "**_**It's Ok to Go**_**" by Lori Daoust.**_


	2. Like a Virgin

_**Thank you for reading the first chapter! I hope you will enjoy this story as much as the last.**_

It was weird, being back on Earth after so long. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure how long he had been gone. Months? Years? But during that time, he had grown accustomed to the peacefulness of Heaven. His whole life had been nothing but chaos and danger. Heaven was none of that.

But now, he was back. And it was... surprisingly welcoming.

It was like something had been missing this whole time, and he didn't even know it until he realized what it was. This was _real_. Heaven was memories, and fabricated worlds he created in his mind to keep himself preoccupied. But here, all the people he saw, all the houses they passed, and all that they did... those were no memories. Those were real.

He didn't have much time to appreciate any of this, though, because Castiel was all business.

"Jeez, Cas. Haven't you ever heard the expression 'Stop to smell the roses'?"

"Roses are not required for this ritual, Dean. I don't see how that is relevant right now."

Dean just rolled his eyes. "So what _is_ the ritual? What do we need to get?"

Castiel unfolded the piece of paper Joshua had given him. "The spell itself is quite simple. However, we need... blood. Quite a bit."

Dean paused. He was not liking this. "What kind of blood?"

"Half monster... Half virgin."

"Virgin? Well, shit, Cas. How are we supposed to get virgin blood?" Castiel didn't answer. "How much do we need?"

"A significant amount."

"Damn it..." Dean cursed. Monster blood was one thing... but human blood? That was much harder to get. And it couldn't be his own... obviously. He didn't even have blood as of right now, and he certainly wasn't a virgin.

"I can... procure the blood, alone, if you wish."

Dean shook his head. "No, no, man. We can't be killing some poor virgin."

"I'm not going to-"

"Or send them to the hospital for blood loss..."

Castiel sighed. "Then what do you suggest?"

Dean thought for moment, and then smiled. "I've got an idea."

...

Dean was used to dressing up in some costume and playing a part. He had been police officers, Homeland Security, Firemen, and more. But unfortunately, he was just a spirit on Earth.

But _Castiel_ was all flesh and bones, (or, technically just _inside_ flesh and bones, but, whatever.) And, as it just so happens, he looked quite good in a doctor's white coat.

"I don't understand, Doctor Herman. My daughter just has a cough. Are you sure you need to do a blood test?" A middle aged mother asked, cautiously.

A girl, about 12, sat between them, coughing periodically. She had been on her phone for most of the visit, but as soon as they mentioned blood test, she started to look worried.

"Yes, Ma'am. But I don't want to prescribe any medication, yet. The cough should go away on its own."

"Then why the blood test?" The mother pressed again. She put her hand on her hip, and spoke with the high-pitched, accusatory tone Dean recognized from all the mothers of the girls he ever dated.

Castiel glanced nervously to Dean, who stood at the other side of the room. As a spirit, he appeared invisible to the mother and daughter, and they could not hear him. But Castiel could.

Castiel repeated what Dean told him to say. "It's better safe than sorry, Ma'am. I just want to be careful."

The mother frowned, but nodded.

Castiel grabbed a needle, and some of the sanitizing equipment. The girl still hadn't spoken a word to him, but she allowed him to prepare with general ease.

However, as soon as he got the needle ready, she started to _freak_.

"N-never mind. I don't (cough) wanna do this. I don't want my blood (cough) taken." She held her hand over her arm, pleading with both Cas and her mother.

"Courtney, sweetheart, you have to calm down." Her mother stood at her side, gently stroking her hair. "You have to let the doctor do this."

Castiel glanced nervously at Dean for assistance.

"You gotta calm her down, Cas..." Dean said, very unhelpfully. Castiel didn't do anything. "You gotta... tell her a story or something."

Castiel looked down at the girl. "Uh... It'll be fine. It wont, uh, hurt..."

Dean watched Castiel's futile attempts to assure the girl with amusement. He could sometimes forget that Cas was actually some supposedly-emotionless angel, except for when he tried to act human. The usually confident angel was now stumbling over his words and nervously rubbing the back of his neck. It was pretty funny.

But right now, he couldn't just sit back and watch. This was too important. "Cas, just repeat after me, okay?"

Castiel cleared his throat, and tried again, this time with Dean's words. "I have a little brother," He started, abruptly. Courtney stared up at him, still holding her arm. "His name is Sam. Do you... um, do you have any sisters or brothers?"

Courtney nodded. Her mother explained, "She has a little sister, Isabelle."

Castiel smiled. "Well, my brother hated going to the doctor. He was terrified of it. And once he got himself hurt- because you know how younger siblings are. They're klutz." Courtney smiled, nodding. She let go of her arm, and continued listening.

"Anyway, he ended up having to get his blood drawn- just like you. But when the doctor left to go get the supplies, he turned to me and said, 'I can't do this, Dean. It's gonna hurt!' So of course I told him it wouldn't hurt at all, but he didn't believe me.

"He was only 9, though, you have to remember. So I told him that I knew a trick to make it not hurt. So I ran around the room, grabbing random doctor equipment. I put on the gloves and everything. I started hitting his knee with the rubber hammer. I pretended to know what I was doing with a stethoscope. And I even gave him a glass of water from the faucet and told him it was special, numbing water."

"Did he believe you?" Courtney asked, laughing.

"Yes! He was so sure that it was going to work."

"What happened when the doctor came back?"

"He took his blood."

"And?"

"Oh, he cried like a baby." Courtney giggled. "He was mortified. But that's only because he didn't expect anything. That was my mistake. But I'm not going to make that mistake with you." Courtney looked down. "Yeah, it's going to hurt. But then it will be over."

"Well, Courtney. Will you let him take your blood, now?" Her mother asked.

Courtney looked back at him, and nodded slowly.

Castiel was able to take a sample of the girls blood, and pack it away as if he had any plans to send it for testing. The girl winced when the needle went in, but she took it like a champ.

"You did good," Castiel smiled, reassuringly. "That wasn't so bad, right?"

Courtney shook her head. "And now it's over."

The woman thanked Castiel, who sent her to fill out some paperwork with the receptionist. Courtney let out another hacking cough before standing up to follow her.

With the mothers back turned, Castiel quickly reached over and pressed two fingers on the girls head. She gasped, and immediately stopped coughing. She stared up at Castiel with wide eyes. He just smiled and waved her off to her mother.

That's when Castiel seemed human. When he was just being kind.

When the door closed, Dean grinned. "You did well, dude."

"It was your story."

He let Castiel get the jar out of the cabinet- he still wasn't that good at picking things up as a spirit. "That may have been enough blood," They had been at this all day, and they had gone through a lot of kids. "Nice job curing her cough. Poor girl looked miserable."

"It wasn't just a cough." Castiel opened the jar and poured in the new blood. "She had a Cough-Variant Asthma. It's very under-diagnosed. She should be fine, now."

"Oh..." Dean trailed off.

"I think this is enough." Castiel announced. "Assuming all of these kids were, in fact, virgins."

"God, I hope so. We never saw anybody over 12." Dean looked down at the half-filled jar. "Now we need monster blood."

"That should be a lot easier. Hold on, before we leave..." Castiel opened up the supply closet, and pulled out a tall dark- haired woman. He touched her for head, and she awoke with a start. "Here, Dr. Herman." Castiel took off his coat and name tag, returning it to her. "You'll need this." And then he disappeared.

…

Getting monster blood was considerably easier. With Castiel's help, locating a skinwalker was much easier than Dean could ever remember. And killing it, well, he took care of that pretty quick.

Afterwords, Castiel transported them to a park. He sat down, and Dean followed suit. "We can't do the ritual until tomorrow night. I suppose I can take you back to your Heaven until then."

"Hold on," Dean wasn't going to let an opportunity like this one pass by so quickly. "In case you've forgotten, I'm dead. I don't get to come down here that often, anymore."

"What do you suggest?"

Dean hesitated, knowing Castiel's response was most likely going to be negative. "I want to see Sam."

Castiel closed his eyes. He knew Dean was going to ask... it was in Deans nature to think of Sam before everything- and everyone- else. "Dean, you know we shouldn't-"

"We shouldn't what?" Dean repeated. "We shouldn't see my brother? Talk to him? Let him know I'm okay? Make sure he is? There's nothing wrong with that."

"You're not even supposed to be down here," Castiel pointed out. "You chose Heaven, not Earth. You are where you are by your own free will. You shouldn't interfere..."

"Cas, you know me better than that. All I _do_ is interfere with shit I shouldn't." Dean grinned, hoping to get a smile from Castiel. He didn't. "This is my brother we're talking about here, Cas. Sam. I just want to _see_ him, for Christ's sake."

Castiel sighed, and Dean knew he had won. "Okay, if you insist. But you cannot tell him what we are doing. Humans aren't supposed to know about Purgatory. The only reason I'm telling you is..."

"Yeah, I know. I won't tell him anything, I swear."

"Good. Just let me find him..."

_**FYI, I'm not a doctor, and I've never gotten my blood taken, so if that isn't how you do it... sorry.**_


	3. Meanwhile, On Earth

_**I feel like this story is getting off to a good start! Please review, and let me know what you think!**_

Sam Winchester did not want to answer his door.

Somebody was knocking on it like a fucking idiot, and he just was not in the mood.

When the apocalypse was over, and life was beginning to go back to normal (just with less people), Sam thought he could go back to hunting. He thought he wanted to.

He knew that's Dean would want him to. Dean always wanted him to hunt. His dad always wanted him to hunt. And he never did.

But now they were both gone. Long gone. And as much as he had always wanted to run away- and as often as he _did_ run away- he had never felt as alone as he did now.

At first, people had to rebuild. Society didn't return to normal over night. But after the last 3 years, it was practically identical to society pre-zombie.

When that happened, he _tried_ to hunt. He really did. There were still things out there to kill. But he just couldn't get into it. It wasn't the same.

Eventually he settled down in and his own apartment in Lawrence. He felt closer to his family there, even though he knew they were much, much farther away.

He got a job as a mechanic with one of his dads old friends. He had met the man once before, pretending to be a journalist or something. Luckily, it didn't seem like he recognized him. He used the fake name Glenn Davis.

Things were going pretty well. He had a girlfriend, although nothing serious, and a stable life.

But tonight, he just wasn't feeling it.

Every once in a while he would go into this depression, and he just couldn't get out of it. He didn't know if he missed hunting, or if he just missed his brother. These nights he'd usually curl up on the couch with a case of beer, put on the television, and tried not to fall into the darkness.

And that's what he was doing when some bastard started to knock on his god damn door.

He let them knock, planning on ignoring them completely. But soon... "Sam. Sam Winchester."

_Who knows my real name?_ Sam thought, standing up, shakily. He began to recognize the voice. He had heard this man before... a few years ago...

He swung open the door. "Castiel?" He could not contain his look of astonishment when he saw the angel- who looked exactly the same as he did years ago- standing I'm his doorway.

"Sorry, I would've teleported in there, but I didn't want to startle you." Castiel apologized, looking uncomfortable.

Sam just stared at him, still unsure of what to say.

Castiel stood awkwardly, wishing Sam would say something. "Sam, I know it's been awhile..."

"Awhile?" Sam finally spoke. "It's been more than _awhile_, Castiel. It's been years. The last time you spoke to me, you told me my brother was dead."

Castiel looked down at the ground. The reasons Castiel had given Dean against coming here were legitimate, but there was another reason he had not said out loud.

He was ashamed. Ashamed that he hadn't really tried to help Sam through any of this. He simply relayed the information, and them watched from afar as Sam's life collapsed in on itself. He had spent too much time finding Megan, and too much time with Dean.

"I know, Sam. And I'm sorry for that..."

"Sorry? You could've stopped by every once in awhile, ya know. You could've sent a post card or _something_." Sam's hand was still wrapped around the door knob, and he had half a mind to just shut the door. Whatever the angel wanted, he didn't want any part of it. He didn't hunt anymore, and he certainly wasn't going to help _Castiel_ hunt something.

"You're absolutely right, Sam. I should've. And I'm sorry I didn't."

"What do you want, Castiel?"

Before Castiel could answer, another voice behind Sam spoke. "Well I needed _someone_ to tell me where you were hiding out." Sam's whole body tensed. His ears must have been deceiving him. It couldn't be... "Who the hell is Glenn, anyway?"

He turned around, and it was like his prayers were answered. "Dean..." He went to hug him, but Dean backed off.

"Hold on, Sammy. I'm not _all here_ if you know what I mean."

Sam stared at him in confusion before understanding. "You're... you're a spirit." That's all his brother was now. A ghost. A memory.

"Yeah... It was the only way to get down here." Dean explained, his stupid smile that Sam had missed so much plastered across his face.

Castiel had walked into the apartment and closed the door, but Sam didn't even care about him right now. All he cared about was the fact that his big brother was standing just inches away from him.

"So... How's it been? You still hunting?" Dean had been waiting for this for a long time, and now that he was here he had no idea what to say.

"Uh...no. I live here, I guess..." Sam found it hard just to remember to breathe, right now. He wished Dean could be here to stay, so he had all the time in the world to talk to him, again. But he only had right now. "I'm working with one of dads old friends- Mike Guenther."

"Really? That's great," Sam almost expected Dean to be disappointed about him not hunting, but he didn't seem to care. "I'm glad you're okay... I just... I wanted to make sure you were okay..."

Sam nodded. "Are... you okay? Wherever you... are?"

Dean smiled. "Yeah, yeah. It's kinda boring up there, but Cas has been keeping me company."

Small glanced at Castiel, and he was glad the angel was at least looking after Dean. "I really miss you, man..." His voice cracked just a little bit, and he knew under other circumstances Dean would've jeered him about it. But Dean just nodded.

"You too, Sammy."

Sam turned to Castiel. He had been waiting the whole time to ask him, even though he could guess the answer. "Castiel, I know you have the power to-"

"Sam, he can't." Dean interrupted him.

Castiel looked at Sam, sadly. "I'm sorry, Sam. I can't bring your brother back. I may have that kind of power, but it's against the rules."

Sam closed his eyes, nodding."I know, I just... Had to try."

Dean and Castiel shared a glance, and Sam tried not to notice. "Sammy... I have to get going." Dean wanted to stay. He wanted to stay permanently, but he knew that it was impossible. But he only wanted to make sure Sam was alright, and he had done that.

Sam could tell by Deans face that he wasn't saying something. That there was something at the tip of his tongue that he wanted to get out... but something was stopping him. But he also knew that if Dean had decided not to tell him something, then there was no use arguing with him. And now was definitely not the time to argue.

"Yeah, okay... I understand."

"I'm really sorry, Sam. For everything."

"Don't be. I'll... I'll see you soon."

"Not too soon, Sam. Promise me that."

Sam smiled, holding back tears. "I promise."

There was no hug to be had, so Dean and Castiel left. Sam wanted to scream his head off, but instead he elected to pick up the phone, instead. He had to tell _someone_ what just happened.

…

Bobby Singer hadn't heard from Sam in a couple years. He wasn't surprised when Sam picked up his stuff and left, declaring that he was done hunting. It was practically the kids M.O.

Sam had moved in with Bobby originally, after Dean and Megan were gone. It made it a little easier to deal with, for Bobby at least. He had grown close to Megan over the years, and Dean, well... he was like a son to him. So both of their deaths had been hard.

But for a while, he had Sam, and he appreciated that. Until the say that Sam decided to go. Bobby didn't argue with him, and he definitely didn't try any of that shit John did. He knew that Sam thought this was best for him and Bobby accepted that.

And then suddenly, two years later, he got a call from an unknown number. "This is Bobby Singer."

"Hey Bobby. It's Sam."

"Sam? How've you been, boy?" Bobby was glad to hear from him, but there was no way Sam was calling him just to chat. Something must have been wrong. "It's been awhile."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry for that." For a moment Sam realized that he had done to Bobby what he had just accused Castiel of doing to him. He quickly pushed that thought aside. He had more important things to worry about. "I was just calling because... I just talked to Dean."

There was a pause on the other line as Bobby tried to figure out if Sam had truly lost his marbles. "Sam..."

"He was a spirit, Bobby, but it was him. And Castiel was with him."

"Castiel? The angel?" Bobby hadn't seen the angel since he told the both of them bout Megan's and Dean's death. He never got in touch again.

"Yes, but... there's something they aren't telling me. I have to talk to you in person. Do you mind if I come by?" He asked, as if he was only a few blocks away.

"Boy, no matter when or why you asked me that, I'd never mind."


	4. The Great Door

Castiel didn't make Dean help him prepare for the spell. All it involved, really, was drawing some symbols on the wall in the blood they had collected. He would've had Dean do _something_, at least, but right now, Cas knew he was only thinking about his brother.

He wasn't wrong. Deans mind kept going back to Sam's little apartment. It was small, but it was furnished more than any house Dean had ever lived in since he was four. When Castiel had been talking to Sam, Dean took the opportunity to look around.

It was _his_, really truly his. There were books on the shelves; with everything from mechanic 101 guides to rituals by ancient civilizations.

There were dishes in the sink, including two wine glasses that led him to believe he had some sort of girlfriend. The bed in his room was made neatly on only one side.

The TV had been on some news channel, and empty beer bottles laid on their side on the coffee table.

It was weird, seeing how Sam had moved on. He was surprised when Castiel originally told him Sam had continued hunting. Even then he figured it wasn't going to last.

The whole experience reminded him of that day 6 years ago, when he broke into Sam's college apartment. It looked somewhat the same, minus the beer.

Back then, he was a little offended that Sam had moved on so easily. Now it made Dean feel pretty good. He was going to be okay without his big brother, which may have been bittersweet, but it was for the best.

"Dean," Castiel's voice brought him back to the present. "We're ready."

Dean nodded, walking over to Cas. He looked over the symbols he had drawn, but he didn't recognize any of them. "So, what, you just read out some Latin, and we get this show on the road?"

"I suppose so. I have to be honest with you, Dean. I have no idea what to expect. No angel I know has ever been to Purgatory."

"I guess you'll be making history, then, huh?" Dean joked, but Cas didn't smile.

"Not if she's really in there."

Dean frowned. "Let's do this, Cas."

Castiel unfolded the piece of paper and cleared his throat.

"_Ianua Magna Purgatorii  
Clausa Est Ob Nos  
Lumine Eius Ab Oculis  
Nostris Retento_

_Sed Nunc Stamus Ad Limen Huius  
Ianuae Magnae Et Demisse  
Fideliter Perhonorifice  
Paramus Aperire Eam_

_Creaturae Terrificae Quarum  
Et Dentes Nunquam Tetigerunt  
Carnem Humanam Aperit Fauces  
Eius Ad Mundum Nostrum Nunc  
Ianua Magna  
Aperta Tandem!_"

_(Great door of Purgatory  
That is closed for us  
Its light is kept away  
From our eyes_

_But now we're standing on this threshold  
Of the Great door, and humbly  
Faithfully, respectfully  
Are preparing for its opening_

_Terrible creature, whose claws  
And teeth have never touched  
Human flesh, is opening its jaws  
Toward our world now  
Great door  
Open at last!)_

The markings on the wall began to glow with a bright light. Dean covered his eyes, but Castiel stared straight into the white abyss. "I can feel her," Castiel shouted, although Dean could barely make out his words. "She's in here. We have to go."

"Come on, then. Let's do this!" Dean closed his eyes and held his breath. He walked forward, expecting to be jolted forward, or flung through, or to just disappear. Instead, the portal exploded in another flash, and immediately dissipated. "Wait, wait, what happened?"

Castiel frowned. "The portal was not made to accept human souls. It rejected you." He had feared this would happen. It was why he initially elected to go by himself.

"What do we do?"

"I'll reopen the portal. There is still time. But i'll have to go alone."

"No! We already talked about this! I have to come with you! There has to be another way..."

Dean could tell Castiel was frustrated with his obstinacy, but he had to put his foot down. He had to be part of this fight, of this rescue. Dean Winchester was not born to wait around and let others take care of things. "There... there may be a way to trick the portal into letting you in. But you will not like it, and the angels will _really_ not like it."

"Okay, I'll do whatever. Screw the angels."

"If we could put you back in your body... I could... join you. My grace may adequately hide your soul, and let us both in."

"Join me? As in possess me?"

"I realize its not a great option. And the angels will not want me to put you back in your body. But it may be the only way..."

Dean groaned. It seemed like his whole life was a series of no-win choices. "If you really think it will work..."

"I wouldn't have suggested it, otherwise. But we must hurry. We don't have much time."

…

When Dean awoke, his first thought was of Hell. The last time woke up from the dead, his memories plagued his every thought as he climbed desperately out of the wooden coffin.

This time around, it was different. He didn't have to climb out of anything- he simply opened his eyes to see Castiel staring at him. And yet Hell was still his first thought.

"Are you okay?" Castiel extended his arm, in what he thought to be a very human gesture, to help Dean up. Dean, however, just shook his head, and stood himself. "Is everything... working correctly? No problems?"

Dean took a moment to shake the memories from downstairs. He cleared his throat, and for the first time realized how strange it was to be alive again. "Yeah. Yeah, man, thanks. I'm good."

"Good, because there's no time. You have to give me verbal permission, and them we can go."

"Fine. I give you permission. But as soon as we're out, you gotta go."

"Agreed."

Dean mentally argued with himself about what a dumbass decision this was, as Castiel grabbed his shoulders. Before he could say anything, a white light that Dean recognized as an angelic grace flew from Castiel, and into him.

He could feel another presence inside him, but at first, it was only that. He could still control his body, and everything seemed to be normal. Jimmy Novak's body had fallen to the ground, empty. Dean checked it for some hint of life, but Jimmy was long gone. "Castiel?" He asked aloud. "Are you... are you in there?"

Suddenly, he felt paralyzed. His arms and legs wouldn't move, but somehow he stayed upright. His mouth began to move, and his voice came out, but it wasn't his words. "Yes, I am here. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, except I can't move!" Dean complained, but his body didn't follow. Somehow, Cas still heard him.

"I know, sorry. We can't both control the body, and I must redo the ritual."

"Whatever. I hate this. Let's just get it over with."

Castiel, in Dean's voice, read the ritual again. "_Ianua Magna Aperta Tandem!_" The portal reopened, and this time, they were able to pass through.

And thus began a journey full of blood, danger, monsters, and "God damn it, Castiel! Stop moving me!"'s.


	5. Singer and Friends

With the death of Lilith, and the end of the abrupt halt to the angels apocalypse plan, zombies started falling dead (for real) in the streets. This allowed for humans, those who were still alive, to come out of hiding and find each other. They started to form new communities, and cleared up bodies from the street. They inhabited old buildings, and fixed them up. They were able to grow food, hunt, and scavenge for nonperishables.

In about six months, people from different landmasses started to communicate again. Most technology was already there, they just had to find people who knew how to use it. Once global communication was back, everything changed.

2 years post-zombie, people had moved back into cities, and had jobs farming, building, etc. However, at the same time, there were select groups of individuals all over the world working on getting technology back to what it was.

But there was also a group, unknown to everyone else, who saw this as a huge opportunity. Hunters.

Things were getting better exponentially, but they still weren't up to par. That gave them a lot of leeway in getting to the monsters, undetected. Suddenly, their habits weren't so unusual. Their arsenals weren't so suspicious. For a while, at least, they would blend in.

Bobby Singer was one of those hunters.

With Sam's help, he was able to get his house in Sioux Falls back into shape. His book collection was mostly gone, but he figured that was the least of his worries. He reset up his base with the hunter community, relieved to reconnect with those who made it, and mourned those who apparently did not.

He hunted a little with Sam at first, but mostly he dealt with other hunters. They needed help adjusting, and he was willing to help. And then Sam left. He woke up one morning to find Sam downstairs in the kitchen, bags packed by the door. "I have to go, Bobby. This place... there's too many memories."

Bobby understood why Sam had to go. He wished the boy the best of luck, wherever he was going, and he meant it.

Honestly, although it broke his heart, he didn't expect to ever hear from him again. And yet, over a year later, he got the strangest phone call he had ever received- and that was saying something.

When Sam told him he had spoken to Dean, he _wanted _to believe. He wanted to believe that somehow, the kid had managed to find his way back to the land of the living yet again. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before.

But he couldn't have. He was gone, for real this time. And Sam... He must have been loosing his mind.

It took a few days after the phone call for Sam to get to Bobby's place. He spent the whole trip thinking and rethinking about his talk with Dean. He was so glad that Dean was okay, and happy even... But something wasn't right. He thought maybe it had something to do with Castiel. Maybe he had told Dean not to tell Sam something... something important.

Sam paused in front of Bobby's door. It had been awhile since he had seen the old hunter, and he felt bad about that. He tried to think of something to say, but he couldn't, so he just knocked.

After a moment, "Sam! Good to see ya, boy," Bobby brought Sam in for a hug. "Come on in."

"Thanks, Bobby." Bobby brought Sam and himself a beer, and they both settled down on the couch.

"So... You saw your brother?"

Sam nodded, taking a sip of the beer. "Castiel showed up at my door, and Dean was with him. But it wasn't _him _him. He was a... spirit."

"And you're sure it was him?"

"It was him, Bobby. It was Dean. I know my brother." Sam knew it sounded crazy, but it was real. "He said he was just checking up on me, but... why? Why suddenly after all this time?" Dean had been gone for three years, (It was almost as long as when he left for Stanford.) And yet he never once came to see him. What changed?

"Did he say anything off to you?"

Sam shook his head. "Not really. But him and Castiel... I don't know, man. They knew something. And I think it's important."

Bobby thought for a while, trying to decide if he believed all this or not. He knew Sam wasn't lying, and he supposed it wasn't _completely _impossible that Dean had just _shown up_.

There was one way he could find out for sure. "I may have an idea, boy."

"You do?"

"A buddy of mine... he might know somebody who can help. Supposedly, a few years ago when he was gettin' chased by some zombies, an angel came and saved his life."

"You think the angel knows what's going on?"

"It's certainly possible. I have to warn you, though. Apparently the angel is, well, kinda a dick. I'm not sure how willing he'll be to cooperate."

"It doesn't matter. We'll get him to help. _Somebody_ has to know what's going on, here."

In a just a few minutes, Bobby was on the phone with his friend, apparently another hunter named Garth, and was writing down an address. "Yes, thank you, Garth... No, really, you don't have to... Yes, I'll let him know... Okay, goodbye Garth."

He hung up, sighing. "Okay, looks like we gotta go to him, and he'll call the angel to get us."

"You don't seem too excited to see him," Sam commented, smiling to himself at the look on Bobby's face.

"The guy's a great hunter. Real great kid. But... well, you'll see."


	6. Adventures in a Midwest Purgatory

_**Another chapter! Thank you to everyone who has been reading this! Please review, and let me know what you think! I love getting feedback!**_

Dean absolutely hated sharing his body.

His whole life he had to share _everything_. His room, his bed, his food, everything. But never before had he been forced by circumstances to share his body with someone else. Also, this person was definitely not Sam.

This person was a dick. And he was so used to having control over some poor dudes body and mind, that he found it hard to share. Castiel.

"Cas, I seriously hate you."

"That's not a very good stance to have with someone in this sort of situation, Dean."

To top it all off, Purgatory was fucking terrifying. When he first opened his eyes, he thought he was in memory. He thought he was reliving one of those dreaded training drills his father had him do when he was a kid. He'd drop a young Dean off in the woods, somewhere, with no idea how to get back, with limited supplies and say "I expect you back home in a week." Harsh, maybe, but Dean knew it was why he knew how to survive, now.

But no, this was no memory.

It was eerily quiet in the woods around them. There was nothing to indicate any sign of life in this place. But then again, there wasn't really any _life_, anyway.

"Well this is dull..." Dean glanced around, watching out for any sign of a monster. "There's nothing here."

"There will be," his own voice warned, and he felt himself walk forward. "We should keep moving as long as possible. We need to find her, and quickly."

"Can you sense her at all? Like before we came in?"

"Yes, somewhat. An angel's grace sticks out here, like a beacon. While she isn't fully angelic, I can still find her relatively easily. But that also means the other monsters can find her as well,"

Dean sighed. Castiel was controlling him, and for the moment he let him. It was weird, being to _close_ to the angel. They were literally one person, and it was creeping him out a bit.

Somehow, Castiel could hear what he was saying, even if he wasn't saying it with his mouth. So did that mean he was essentially reading his thoughts? Damn, he hoped not.

"In a way, yes," Castiel replied, answering Dean's silent question. "I'm not _trying_ to get into your head, or listen to your thoughts. It's more like I'm standing beside you, and you're speaking out loud. Whether or not I'm listening, I'll hear some things."

"Wonderful," Dean groaned. "How come I can't hear your thoughts?"

"I'm better at shielding them than you are," Castiel replied, almost smugly.

"Well that just seems unfair. Come on, Cas, I wanna get inside your head."

Castiel dismissed him, and continued on. He followed the invisible path toward Megan. Not even he could see it- but he could feel it.

At first, they didn't see anything. It actually made Dean nervous, how quiet it was. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he started getting a bad feeling. "Cas, you said that you're tracking Megan's angel grace, right? Because it stands out?"

"That is correct."

"But you have a grace, too."

Castiel paused. "Yes. So other monsters in here can track me, possibly even easier than they can track her."

"Then why haven't we seen anything yet?"

"These Purgatory creatures... they're animals, sure. But in order to survive in this place, it takes some intelligence, too. They've probably never seen an angel before, but they know about us. They won't attack right away. They'll just watch."

"Great. That's just great." Dean sighed, suddenly feeling even more useless. "Cas, would you mind if I take over for a bit? This is kinda uncomfortable."

"I suppose. I'll tell you where to go."

…

"We're getting close. Her grace is getting stronger," Castiel alerted him after a long while of walking. It was creepy as fuck to hear another voice in his head, but it was better than hearing someone else's words out of his mouth.

"Can you like... see her, or something? Can you tell if she's okay?" He tried desperately to cover up the emotions radiating out of him at the moment. With Castiel in his head, it was even harder to hide his feelings.

If Castiel could sense anything, he didn't show it. "I don't know. Sorry, I can only feel her presence, not her being."

Dean was going to respond, but suddenly his hunters instincts kicked in. He could feel someone's eyes watching them. _Castiel,_ he thought, not wanting to speak aloud. _Somebody's here._

And then, without any further warning, something was on him. He tried to throw it off his back, but it was strong. It had him down on the ground, and he felt it reaching for his weapons. He went to roll it off, but suddenly he couldn't move. Castiel had taken control, and with little to no effort he had the thing on the ground, pinned beneath him.

He reached out, prepared to smite the thing, but Dean stopped him. "Cas! Wait!" Castiel obliged immediately. "Look, it's... It's not an it. It's a human."

They both stared at the girl in awe. She looked wild, ravenous, and feral, but there was no mistaking her for any kind of monster. Castiel checked her for vampire teeth, must to her disliking, but no. She was human.

She was built, too. Strong enough to take down Dean Winchester. Dirt and blood caked her face and skin. She practically growled as they stared down at her, "Get off of me!"

Castiel didn't budge. "How did you get here? What are you?"

The woman didn't answer, and just continued to try and pull out from the angel's grasp.

"Let her up, Cas. She won't cooperate like this."

Castiel sighed, but did as he said. He held on to her wrist in case she tried to run, but allowed her to stand. "You're not meant to be here. We can help you. Just tell us what you are."

The girl stared at them for a few moments, deciding whether or not she believed him. "I'm not a _wha__t_, asshole. My name's Nasrin. I'm human. But not everyone in this place is, so what the hell are _you_?"

"I'm an angel." Castiel replied, honestly. "I'm looking for another angel: she may go by Megan or Nisroc. Have you seen her?"

Nasrin shook her head.

"Now, how did you get here? Humans shouldn't be able to get in here."

She shrugged. "I don't know, man. One moment I'm getting attacked by some dick on some major LSD, and suddenly I wake up here."

"LSD?"

"Drugs, Cas. Ask her about the guy who attacked her."

"Do you remember anything about the man who attacked you?"

"I don't know. He was a little shorter than you, but he took me down, easily. He must have been high, or something. I mean, he _bit_ me, for god sakes."

"Holy shit, Cas. I bet you anything that guy was a zombie." It all made sense... sorta. She was bit, near the beginning of it all, and she turned. And then... what? Her soul went to Purgatory?

Castiel frowned. There must have been something awfully powerful about the zombie "virus" if it even infected the souls. "We need to get you out of here, Nasrin. It's too dangerous."

"Don't I know it. I swear, I've seen shit I didn't even know existed. Including you, I guess. What was your name?"

"Uh..."

"Dude, my body, my name." _But I've already told her I'm an angel..._ "I don't care. Just tell her."

"I'm Dean."

Nasrin laughed. "An angel named Dean? Whatever you say. You really think you can get us out of here?"

"Us?" Castiel repeated.

"Well, yeah. There's a bunch of us... normal people in here. We have a camp set up, not that it really matters. "Those gooey bastards get in anyway."

"I'm confused."

"Come on, I'll take you to them."

Castiel began to follow her, but he heard Dean say to himself, "What's so funny about an angel named Dean?"


	7. Cue the Action Sequence

Nasrin led them back to her camp, or at least what _appeared_ to be a camp. Really, it was just a collection of people gathered together, sharpening weapons and on the lookout for danger.

The group looked much like Nasrin did. Dirty, tired, and dangerous. And still Castiel worried they were no match for the vampires, werewolves, and other monsters that inhabited this godless place.

Especially with these "goo" monsters.

"I brought a friend." Nasrin announced as they approached the camp. The members looked up suspiciously, but thankfully Dean looked human, regardless of the angel inside, and they didn't suspect anything too bad. "Don't worry. This is Dean. He says he can help us get out."

"No one can get us out of here," One of the men growled. "We've tried. We've lost people trying. We can't afford to lose anymore."

Honestly, it reminded Dean of Earth, after the apocalypse. They were just in a different place.

Some of the other members nodded in agreement. "This isn't just anyone, though." Nasrin promised. "Dean says he's an angel."

The man who spoke before scoffed. "An angel? You got to be kidding me?"

"Is it really that weird?" A short, dark-haired woman spoke up. "After all the evil we've seen, couldn't there be some good, too?"

"Not here..."

Castiel stayed silent, unsure of what to say. _We need to get these people out of here._

"I know, dude." Dean agreed. "But first we gotta find Megan. Then we'll take them with us, and get the hell out of dodge."

_It's not that simple, Dean. First of all, we don't even know if they_ can _get out. The portal didn't want to let you in, originally, unless I was there. There's no saying it will let a human soul out._

"And second?"

Castiel sighed. _And second... I'm not 100% sure I know how to get out._

"Excuse me?"

_Joshua said something about a portal, but he didn't know that much about it. It's supposedly some kind of loophole._

"So you just waltzed right into one of the most dangerous places in God's creation, without an exit strategy?" Dean asked, half angry, half bewildered.

_I... I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry, I should have told you. But would it have changed your mind about coming?_

"Well, no. Stupid plans are kind of my forte. But damn, Cas. I just can't believe it, that's all. Whatever, man. Let's just get a move on."

"Nasrin, can I talk to you for a second?" Castiel pulled her aside. "I need you to tell me about these "gooey' monsters."

"Of course," She nodded. "We call them gooey because they don't, like, bleed like we do. They're filled with black goo. And this is going to sound strange, but they can change their shape. If they touch you, they can turn into you."

"Sounds like a shapeshifter, but I've never heard of a shapeshifter made of black goo." Dean commented, racking his brain for all his knowledge of monsters. "You ever heard of that, buddy?"

_No. Never._ "Thank you, Nasrin. I'll keep a look out for them."

"Wait, are you leaving?" Nasrin stared at him, accusatory. "I thought you were going to help us get out?"

"Yes, and I plan to. But we- I mean, I came here for a reason, and I have to do that first. But I swear to you, I will be back." Castiel wondered if he sounded at all believable. But it really didn't matter, it was the truth. He wouldn't leave these people here, stranded. They weren't truly monsters, they never asked for this.

Nasrin glanced back at the group, and the returned her gaze to Castiel. "Fine. I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"I'll come with you to find the other angel, or whatever. I just need to make sure you're not going to blow us off... or die, for that matter."

_We can't bring her with us, Dean. It's much too dangerous._ "What, like it's not dangerous if she stays?" _This is different. We'll be purposely bringing her into danger. If she's with a large group, monsters are less likely to attack. _"Dude, you really think she's gonna just let us go? She doesn't trust us. If I were her, I'd do the same thing."

"What about the rest of your group? It looks like they need you."

Nasrin shrugged. "This is a dangerous place, but we've all survived by being competent enough. They'll be fine without me for now."

Castiel sighed, knowing that his options were limited. "Alright. We should get going."

…

Nasrin didn't talk much, but Castiel didn't mind. If she had, he wouldn't have been able to concentrate on her anyway. _Dean_ seemed to never run out of things to say in his head.

"I'm just saying, man. I think you'd get a lot more souls up in Heaven of you just upgraded a bit."

_Dean, I'm trying to concentrate on following Megan's grace, right now._

"Oh, yeah, sorry man. It's just so boring up here. Plus, it's fucking weird not being able to move..."

Castiel sighed. _I know, Dean, I just need to think right now._

"Is something wrong?" Nasrin asked, suddenly.

Castiel shook his head. "No, just... a headache. I think we're getting closer-"

"Do you hear that?" Nasrin interrupted. Castiel stopped, and Dean shut up, and they both listened. Rustling in the trees. The sound of feet on the ground. Someone was behind them.

Nasrin pulled out a dagger that she had hid in her boot, and Castiel prepared to fight.

The fight happened very quick. Three vamps attacked them from behind, bringing down Nasrin and knocking Castiel off his feet. Still, Cas managed to push the creature off of him before she was able to dig her teeth into him. Nasrin slammed her knee into one of the vamps' crotch, and stuck the dagger into his neck.

The third vampire managed to bite into Dean's leg, and Castiel went down on top of it. He pressed his hand over it's for head, and it exploded into a bright light before falling to the ground, dead.

He jumped up, grabbing onto the female, and smited her the same way.

Meanwhile, Nasrin finished slicing the final vamps head off. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she stood, looking Castiel over for injuries. "You're bit."

"Yes, unfortunately I can't heal myself in Purgatory. I'll have to wait until we're back on Earth." He mentally apologized to Dean, who could feel the pain in his leg just as much as Castiel.

"This blows, man. I can't even move my leg, but I sure can feel it when some vamp digs it's stupid fangs into it. I'd like to file a complaint." _There's no one to complain to except me, Dean._ "I know, Cas... never mind."

"Can you still walk?"

Castiel nodded. "I'll be fine, I prom-" Suddenly a scream echoed through the trees, reaching their ears.

"You've got to be kidding me. As if those three asshats weren't enough..." Nasrin sighed, griping tighter to her knife.

But Castiel and Dean weren't listening. "Cas, that's Megan," Dean wasn't sure how he knew for sure: it _sounded_ like her, but honestly it could've been any girl screaming like that. Yet somehow, he _knew_ it was her."

_I don't know, Dean... I can't tell. It could be a trap._ Castiel warned.

"Just... Give me control, Cas. Come on, quickly!"

Suddenly, he could move again, and without a word to Nasrin, he took off running. "Wait! Where are you going?" She called after him. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

But Dean didn't listen, and he didn't look back to see if she had followed him. He had been waiting too long for this. He just ran as fast as humanly possible, swerving around trees and hopping over rocks and roots. "Megan? Megan!"

There was no response, and eventually he had to stop to catch his breath. "Damn it... I can't find her."

"Don't stop, Dean. Keep heading this way. I can sense that we're close."

"Are you sure?"

"Uh... Yes..."

Dean shook his head. "You fill me with confidence, Cas." Regardless, he kept going, albeit a little slower than before. "Megan! Megan!"

"Dean?" At first, he thought it was Castiel trying to get his attention. But quickly he realized it was a girls voice, and he recognized it...

"Megan?"


	8. Together, At Last

Just a little bit farther, and he could see someone behind some trees. He pushed passed it, and found her, standing over a decapitated body, spewing black goo.

For a moment he forgot about trying to hide his feelings from Castiel. He stared at her, as memories flooded back.

She was covered in dirt and black goo. Her clothes were tattered and worn, her hair was haphazardly cut to just below the ears. As soon as she saw Dean emerge from the bushes, she dropped the machete she was carrying. Her mouth dropped in disbelief.

"Dean... how...?"

She ran over to him, and practically leaped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist. "You sure are a hard woman to find, Megan."

She pulled away grinning and tearing up, slightly. "How in the world did you find me, here? I never thought..."

"Castiel. He figured out where you were. Purgatory." He suddenly became re-aware of the angels' presence in his body. "He's uh... hold on, you can talk to him, too."

Megan watched, confused, as Dean blinked, and then stared at her. It was till him, but... His whole demeanor had changed. "Hello, Megan. It's... I'm glad you're okay."

"Castiel? You're... possessing Dean?"

Castiel smiled. "Technically. It's completely temporary, I assure you. It was the only way to get us both here."

"Why did you guys come?" Megan asked. When she had woken up in this place, she thought it was hell. It was a long time before she discovered that this was Purgatory- the resting place of _monsters_.

Before she knew she was an angel, she thought she was a monster. But then, when she discovered her true past, she was able to shed those self-loathing feelings. But now, it was almost like her original suspicions were confirmed.

But she didn't let that stop her. She didn't let herself go. She fought, and she fought hard. In here, she stood out like a beacon. Monsters were constantly on her tail, each one of them searching impatiently, wishing to get a taste of her rare angel flesh.

She was sure that she was here, forever. There was no escaping, just adapting. But suddenly, it seemed that the light at the end of the tunnel was beginning to shine. Dean and Castiel had come to save her., like knights in plaid armor.

"We're going to get you out of this place," Castiel assured her. "This is no environment for an angel such as yourself."

"You know a way out?"

Castiel frowned. "Not exactly. But we will."

Castiel was having trouble dealing with the rush of emotions. He was thrilled to see Megan, and even happier to see her safe. But behind that, was Dean. He had been trying to ignore Dean's personal thoughts, as he knew how intrusive it was to listen in. But now it was hard to.

Humans were emotional creatures, and sometimes their emotions were hard for Castiel to handle. He noticed that Dean was relatively skilled at hiding his feelings, but with the shock and excitement of finding Megan, he couldn't seem to do it anymore.

Memories were flooding through the humans head, and bits and pieces were escaping into Castiel's. A run down liquor store, full of shattered glass and broken shelves. A younger Megan, tired and scared, clasping clumsily to a gun she obviously had no idea how to use.

Then she was older, more sure if herself. She was laughing, covering her face in embarrassment.

Castiel had never been kissed before, but he could almost feel himself lean down and press his own lips against hers in a moment if weakness. Confusion and joy rolling over him like unforgiving waves strong enough to pull a boat beneath the surface.

And of course, there was the last time Dean had ever seen Megan. Her fingers intertwined with his, her energy flowing out toward Lilith.

Castiel felt it so awfully strange to relive someone else's memories, and he only hoped that Dean was unaware he was doing so.

"You really think you can get me out of here?" Megan asked, trying to push down the naïve hope rising up inside her.

Castiel nodded. "Yes, I do believe so."

"Cas, we need to find Nasrin," Dean reminded him, inwardly. "I kinda left her behind."

"But first," Castiel continued, "We have people to save."

"People? In here?"

"It appears the souls of the zombies ended up here, trapped. But I think I can get them out." He tried to speak with more confidence than he actually possessed. He actually had _no idea_ if he could get then out or not. He just knew that he would try. "We were traveling with a woman... But in all the commotion we lost her. We should really go find her, first."

Megan agreed, and followed Castiel back to where he had come from. She desperately wanted to speak to Dean again... to hear his voice, but have it actually he his words. In her time in Purgatory, she had missed him a lot. She missed everyone, but he was different.

Suddenly, a question popped into her head that she had to know the answer go right away. "Castiel... or, Dean, or whoever... is Dean, um... is he alive?"

Castiel didn't answer right away. _Did you want to talk to her?_ "Yeah, man... thanks."

Dean took back control. He stopped, looking back to Megan who was waiting expectantly. "No, I'm not. The only reason I have my body right now is because Cas _temporarily_ resurrected me so I could come with him to find you."

Megan nodded. "Okay... I figured you didn't... I was just kind of hoping that, maybe you somehow survived..." Dean had died with her when he really didn't have to. He just didn't want her to be alone, and she appreciated that. But afterwords, as she wandered around Purgatory, alone again, she started to feel guilty.

Dean had a brother. He had Bobby, and Castiel. That was his family, and she had taken that from him by allowing him to stay with her. She should have refused. She should have _made_ Castiel take him away to someplace safe. But in that moment of weakness, she had let him die.

Dean just shrugged. He didn't blame her; he didn't even _think_ go blame her. He had always been reckless when it came to those closest to him. He was always going to be. "Nobody walked back out of that church. But hey, that was the whole point. We both knew that."

They started walking again. "Yeah, I know, it's just... When I woke up here, I had no idea what was happening back at Earth. And I had no way to find out. So I just... hoped for the best."

"I'm fine, really " Dean assured her. "Somehow I made it past the pearly gates. Cas has been keeping me company. And back home... things are better, now. You really saved them, Megan. The humans down there, they don't know it, but they owe you a lot."

Megan smiled. That was another thing she wasn't sure about. She had done all this to stop the end of the world, but for all she knew it had ended, anyhow. She was glad her plan worked.

"Dean?" Dean and Megan stopped, both hearing the voice.

Megan didn't recognize it, but Dean did. "Nasrin?"

Suddenly, two figures appeared in front of them from the shadows. A large vampire had Nasrin in his arms, his teeth out and ready to dig into her neck at a moment's notice. Dean went to step forward, but the vamp held out his hand.

"You don't want to do that, brother. Not unless you want me to hurt your lady friend here. Trust me, neither of us want that."

"Nasrin, are you okay?" Dean asked, eying the vamp.

"Do I look okay? Just listen to him."

"Look, don't hurt her, okay? What do you want?"

"Dean, should I take over?" Castiel asked, sensing the situation was about to go from bad to worse. He didn't want to risk loosing Nasrin, but he didn't want to take back control unless necessary.

_Not yet. Let me handle this._

"I've been searching for this angel here for a while now. Imagine my surprise when I hear that a _second_ angel showed up." The vamp sneered, staring at Megan. "I want what anyone else in their right mind wants. I want out of this place."

"We're not helping a vampire get back onto Earth," There was no way Dean was going to help this guy. If he thought he could just threaten them and...

"You're not, are you?" His smirk made Dean want to punch him, but he somehow maintained his composure. "Do you even have a way out? Because I'd bet you my ticket outta here that you don't. As of now, you're stuck in this hellhole just like the rest of us." Dean didn't answer. "That's what I thought. But this is a lucky day for you then, because _I_ can get us out. I can get _all_ of us out."

Dean, Megan and Castiel all stayed silent. They all knew he was right: they _were_ stuck in here. But they didn't know if they could trust him. Finally, Dean decided to speak on behalf of the group. "Okay, we'll help you. Just let the girl go."

The vampire nodded, releasing Nasrin, who ran over to Dean. "I look forward to working together, brother. You can call me Benny."


	9. Deal or No Deal

"Bobby!" Garth was short and lanky, and _nothing_ like Sam had imagined him.

He was small for a hunter, and honestly just seemed too nice. Regardless, he trusted Bobby's judgment when he said Garth was a good hunter. Honestly, it was all he _could_do. Garth was his only shot at figuring out what was wrong with Dean.

"It's good to see you, Garth. This is Sam,"

"Of course! I've heard a lot about you!" Sam held out his hand, but Garth leaned up to hug him, instead. "I hear you need to speak to an angel."

Sam nodded.

"I've already called him down. It shouldn't be long, now." Garth promised. He offered them beer, which they readily accepted. "So, Bobby didn't tell me _why_ you wanted to talk to him."

Sam glanced over at Bobby. "Well, uh, I need to ask him something. About my brother."

"Ah," Garth's silence told Sam that Bobby had already told the young hunter about Dean. It was odd to think of Bobby telling people about the two of them... but he supposed he should have known it happened.

After a while, Bobby said "Ya know, Garth, the whole _reason_ I called you beforehand was so you'd be ready. We really don't have time-"

"Hey, hey, _hey, Chillax_, man. I don't run on your schedule." Bobby and Sam turned, startled at the new voice. A short blonde man in a suede jacket stood behind them, his hands in his pockets. He gave a small nod in Garth's direction before turning his attention to Bobby and Sam. "No need for introductions on your side, fellas. Every angel knows your brother's name right now, Sam."

"Sorry, guys. He can be a bit... abrasive. This is Gabriel." Garth apologized, introducing the angel.

"Hm. Sam Winchester and Bobby Singer. Didn't think I'd ever _willingly_ be seeing you two." Gabriel slowly made his way to the couch where Garth had sat down, and plopped down beside him. Sam and Bobby took a seat across from them. "So, you called me. What can I do for you?"

Sam and Bobby exchanged glances. They hadn't met very many angels, but they had never met one like this. "Well... You said you knew my brother." Sam started.

"Yes, of course. The infamous Dean Winchester. Went to Hell, way ahead of schedule, may I add, came back, fucked everything up, and now he's dead. Again. Sound about right?"

Sam gave a little nod. He supposed that description was accurate.

"So we're both talking about the same Dean Winchester. What about him?"

"He's in Heaven, right?"

"Well, yeah, he was."

"Was?" Sam and Bobby spoke simultaneously. Sam continued. "What do you mean? Where is he, now?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Beats me. I heard through the grapevine that he ran off with his angel boyfriend a couple days ago. Supposedly, Castiel even put him back in his body."

"Wait, he's alive?" Sam couldn't believe that. If Dean was alive, why wouldn't be come to find Sam? Where else would he possibly go? "Can you find Castiel? Can I speak to him?"

"Afraid not, Sam. Castiel seems to have pulled himself off the map. Trust me, if the angels could find Cas, they already would have. Most of them are ready to kick his ass for going against orders not to resurrect your brother."

Sam put his head in his hands. His brother was _alive_. It must have happened right after he saw him as a ghost. But why would he hide? Where had he and Castiel run off to? The only conclusion he could draw from this was that Dean was in trouble.

Gabriel, who hadn't stopped smiling this whole time, finally rolled his eyes and sighed. He leaned forward, to out less distance between him and Sam. "Look, Sam, I wouldn't worry about your brother. He can take care of himself."

While Sam knew that to be true, he also knew that he could be reckless, and stupid, and he had a knack for getting himself into trouble.

"Besides, I know Castiel. He's a bit oblivious, but he's harmless."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks." Bobby put his hand on his shoulder.

Gabriel stood up, as if prepared to leave, but he seemed to stop. "Look, I can see you're still worried. Maybe we can make a deal..." Sam glanced up. "I'll try and find your brother, if you do something for me."

"What do ya want him to do, exactly?" Bobby asked, cautiously. Making deals had so far not worked out for the Winchesters, and he wasn't about to let Sam go get himself killed for nothing.

"Chill, big guy. I'm trying to _help_ here, remember?" Gabriel put his hand to his heart for emphasis. "All I need the kid here to do is check something out for me. Just an old building. Nothing big."

"Why do you want it checked out?" Sam questioned.

"I have some... sources that say some bad shit is going down, there, that's all. They aren't particularly reliable, so I don't know if it's true. But you, Mr. Winchester, _you_ are definitely reliable."

"And you can't do this yourself, because...?"

"Because I'm going to be too busy on this wild goose chase for your brother, that's why." Gabriel crossed his arms. "So, are you in, or what?"

Sam looked over to Bobby, who just shrugged. "I'll come with you to this building if you accept, just in case." He promised.

Sam sighed. He wanted to find Dean so bad... He just wanted to be sure he was alright. "Fine, I'll do it. But you _have_ to find Dean."

"I'll do my best." Gabriel smiled. He grabbed a pen and paper and wrote the address. He handed the slip to Sam, and then glanced down at Garth. "Thanks for the invite, Garth. Call me if you need anything." And then he was gone.

Sam and Bobby said thank you to Garth, and also departed. Garth made them promise to check in with him after they check out the old building. He said he trusted Gabriel, but that didn't mean he trusted Gabriel's 'sources'. They agreed to give him a call, soon.

"So, what do you think, Bobby? Can we trust this guy?" Sam asked as they got into the car.

"I don't think we have a choice," He grunted. "Who knows what Dean's got himself into, but it can't be good. And I think this _Gabriel _is the best shot we got at figuring it out."

"I guess you're right..." Sam agreed, grudgingly. He didn't want to put his faith in this angel, but he recognized he didn't really have another choice. "So, are we heading to this address, then?"

Bobby took the piece of paper and read it over. "1009 Pleasant Pine Lane. It's a local place. I guess we should."

And with that, they drove off, with no idea what was waiting for them at their destination.


	10. Well, Of Course it Was a Bad Idea

The building wasn't as _abandoned_ as Gabriel had led them to believe. Bobby had decided to drive by the building first, just to make sure no one was waiting for them, and as it turned out, it was a good idea.

The building looked to be like an old, rundown factory. The only cars outside of it were obviously broken down. The only indication of people inside were the two guards standing by the entrance.

"Well, shit. Now what?"

Bobby frowned. "Either Gabriel's sources were right... Or this is a trap."

Sam sighed. "We should have gotten more information. We have no idea who these guys are. Angels? Demons? Monsters?"

"There's only one way to find out,"

Sam stared at Bobby. "You can't be serious. You don't actually think we should go in there, do you? We have no idea what's inside!"

"No, I don't think we should go in there. But I know you, Sam. As soon as you realize this is the only way to get information on Dean, you'll be back. Except I won't be there to back you up, 'cause God knows you Winchesters seem to have some sort of death wish."

Sam wanted to argue, but there was no point. Bobby was probably right. Eventually he was going to end up at this building again, with or without Bobby.

Gabriel had confirmed Sam's suspicions about Dean, and now he _had_ to act. This was the only way. "You're right. What do we do?"

Bobby thought for a moment. "We just being whatever we got. You still got that knife?."

Sam nodded. Ruby's knife. He tried not to think about the demon that betrayed him and his brother, and almost got everyone killed. He should have known better than to trust her... especially when Dean was back in the picture. But now he was gone, again, and he had to start making his own choices, again. At least he knew he could trust Bobby.

…

They parked far away from the building, and made their way back on foot.

They watched from a distance, checking for any sign of what these guards were. They had almost given up when one of the guards eyes suddenly flickered black. "Demon." Sam mouthed to the older hunter.

They used the element of surprise to take down the guards. They got as close as they could without being seen, and then jumped. Sam was able to take down the first one almost immediately, shoving the demonic blade into his throat.

Bobby threw the other guy onto the ground, landing on top of him. He managed to hold him down long enough for Sam to come and kill him with the knife.

The both stood, panting, looking over the bodies. "Looks like we still got it, boy," Bobby breathed. "Well, they're both demons. At least we know what to expect on the inside."

"We still don't know how many. Or what they're doing in there." Sam warned. "You sure you still want to do this?"

"I'm ready if you are, Sam." Bobby leaned down over one of the bodies and came back up with a plastic key card. "Figured we might need one of these."

Sam tightened his grip on his gun as they entered the building, not knowing what they may be facing. The two hunters slunk through the dark hallways, sneaking past a few present but inattentive guards.

Near the end of the hallway Sam stopped at a large door with a huge "DO NOT ENTER" sign posted on the front of it. "For some reason, I feel like we should enter," Bobby muttered. The door required a key card, but luckily, they had one of those.

Bobby swiped the card, and Sam couldn't help but flinch at the confirming beep it let out before unlocking the door. They exchanged a confirming nod, took a deep breath, and pushed down on the handle.

Sam froze almost as soon as he entered, taking in the horrifying scene. Humans locked in metal cages, starved, begging desperately to be let out.

The cages extended outward, and were cut in half with a metal wall. On the other side of the wall, were snarling, decaying, zombies.

They hid when a loud sound rang out, signaling someone or something. They could do nothing as the metal wall went up, releasing the hungry zombies onto the humans. Sam couldn't look as they were attacked, and torn apart.

"We need to get out of here." Bobby grabbed onto him.

Sam shook his head. He could hear them screaming. "We need to help them!"

Gabriel had severely underestimated what was happening here. This wasn't just some suspicious business. This was a slaughterhouse. And the zombies? Why zombies? If demons wanted to kill humans, why would they do it like this?

But most importantly... Zombies were supposed to be all but wiped out. How did they get their hands on some?

Bobby understood Sam's concern, and he _wanted_ to help those poor folks. But he knew they were long gone, and there was a bigger problem on their hands. Those people didn't just wander into those cages. Somebody put them there. "It's too late, boy. We need to get out before whoever is in charge here finds out where we are and what we've seen."

"Not so fast, Mr. Singer." They both froze when they hears the unfamiliar Scottish accent. A short man in a suit walked out of the shadows and right in front of them. He was smirking, staring down at the two hunters he had managed to trap. He snapped his fingers, and two more demons came out of nowhere, behind them. "Please, you just got here. What kind of host would I be if I let you leave so soon?"

Sam glanced around, looking for an out, but the man seemed to catch on. "There's no way, Sam. You're not leaving until I say you do, so you might as well cooperate."

"Who are you?" Sam asked. "And how do you know who we are?"

"Every demon who wants to survive should know _all_ about you two. And your idiot of a brother, although I hear he kicked it a while ago." The man took a step forward, his eyes flicking to... _Red? _"I'm Crowley. I can either be your friend, or your enemy. I suggest you choose wisely." He paused as if to give them time to think. "Now, why don't we talk more... privately? Hm?"


	11. Hunters and Angels and Vamps, Oh My!

Benny felt good about his plan.

Sure, these humans and angels had every reason _not_ t trust him. They'd probably try and kill him at any moment. They'd chop off his head and he'd... well, he wasn't quite sure _where_ he'd end up. Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he would just disappear from the universe, permanently. Maybe that would be nice.

Or he would end up in an even worse Hell. He'd really rather stay where he was. And so far, the plan was going well.

He knew how to get out of this hell-adjacent monstrosity. There was a portal leading out to Earth, somewhere in the area. He would have gone through it himself, but it wouldn't let him. The portal was meant for humans. It was some sort of loophole, in case they got stuck in here – God's favorites, and all. He explained this to the angels, purposefully leaving out the location of the portal. He needed leverage.

"You said that humans are meant for this portal?" Dean asked.

"That's right. But I betcha angels possessin' humans can get through as well."

_What do you say, Cas? Does he seem legit?_ "I'm not sure we have any other choice but to believe him. If he is correct, we'll get out of here. If he's lying to us, we'll kill him."

Dean looked over to Megan, who just shrugged. She knew nothing about this guy, and she didn't know if he was trustworthy. So far, he wasn't looking good, but it was hard to appear to be the good guy in Purgatory. If she had learned anything from her time here, it was that you can't trust anyone.

_We should check it out ourselves, first, and leave Nasrin with the group. If all goes well, we'll come back and get them before going through the portal._ "It's a lot of wasted time, Dean. It would be easier and faster to get them now." _Yeah, I know, Cas, but it's a safety precaution._ "We should discuss this with Megan."

"Megan, can I talk to you for a moment?" Dean offered, throwing a sideways glance at Benny. "You too, Nasrin."

"What? You don't trust me? You already agreed to come with," Benny frowned melodramatically. Dean brushed him off.

"So, what's the plan, guys?"

"We can't actually trust him!" Nasrin spoke in a hushed tone. "He tried to kill me, for god's sake!"

"What other choice do we have?" Megan reminded them. "You told me you didn't have a plan. _He_ has a plan. Of course we don't trust him, but we may have to listen to him."

"Do we go back for the group now, or do we check it out first?" Dean asked. "I don't want to put them in danger... But it would prolong everything quite a bit."

"Go without them. It's worth it." Megan replied, firmly. She would not get all these people killed if Benny was lying. They would go back for them when they were sure he was telling the truth, and that they would be safe.

"I agree. Too risky." Nasrin nodded her approval.

"Okay, then. We should go. Nasrin, you should stay with your group, just in case."

"Absolutely not. I'm coming with you. I've come this far with you, and you're not making me stay back now."

"Fair enough..." Dean glanced back at Benny. The vampire was carving something into a tree, obviously trying to appear preoccupied so he could try and eavesdrop. _Sorry, Cas, majority rules._

…

Benny led the group in seemingly random directions. It didn't really seem like he knew where he was going, but he swore he did, and they were obliged to believe him. No other choice in the matter, really.

Nasrin was next in line by choice; she wanted to keep a close eye on the vamp. Dean and Megan walked side by side behind her, Dean and Castiel listening as Megan quietly told her side of events.

"Time is weird here. I'm not even sure how long I've been here, but it's absolutely awful."

"Sounds like it," Dean agreed.

"And I'm so glad you two showed up," Megan smiled. "I've really missed you guys. And Sam. How's Sam?" She thought about Dean's little brother, who had been through so much, only to loose his brother once again.

She noticed a slight change in his face when she said Sam's name. "He's good. He's on Earth, thank God. He doesn't hunt anymore, and I think he's even got himself a girlfriend."

"Did you talk to him?"

"Briefly, yeah, before we came to find you. I needed to check up on him, you know?" It was a rhetorical question. Everyone who knew the Winchesters _knew_.

"I'm glad he's good. I was worried about him." Megan meant it. The boys had saved her from a lonely life in a broken down liquor store that _only _could have ended in a bloody, painful death. It was only because of them that she discovered who she truly was, and was able to save the world from the freakin' apocalypse. As far as she was concerned, she owed them _everything_ for that.

They walked in silence for a little longer. Dean stared at the never ending lines of trees, trying to distract himself from Megan. Castiel was in his head after all, and it was embarrassing to think he could hear all of Dean's thoughts. He could hear how happy Dean was to see her; how beautiful she looked, even covered in dirt and mud; how guilty he felt about her death.

Castiel, of course, could hear everything. As much as Dean tried to hide it, and as much as Castiel tried to ignore it, the angel couldn't escape the flood of emotions and memories.

He wasn't used to this, not at all. Angels weren't meant to have these feelings. They were warriors of God: dangerous and lethal. That was his path in life, not this.

But the more Castiel thought about it, the more he realized just how far off the path he had gone. Angels were supposed to obey orders, and he had done no such thing. With his two own hands he pulled Dean out of Hell, and things were never the same. Together with Megan, Sam, and Bobby, they stopped the angel's plans to end the world, and in doing so, Castiel rebelled.

Not the type of rebellion that a teenager engages in: skipping school, drinking, having sex. It was the type of rebellion that changes the world, that changes the course of history. And they sure changed a lot.

Castiel thought that he could go back to normal once the world was safe. It wasn't like he _wanted _to rebel. His rebellion was just a necessary evil; means to an end, and nothing more.

But the moment Dean said he was staying with Megan, it all changed for him. _"Thank you, for everything. You... You mean a lot to me, man."_ Castiel knew, then, that he had changed too much, he had fallen too far, and there was no going back. He felt that snippet of human emotion, and he was hooked.

Part of him desired this, _wanted_ this to happen. But another part of him knew that a fallen angel was nothing to be proud of. Falling from grace was a disgrace.

He rebelled for the good of the world, but he fell for Dean Winchester.

"Hold up, everybody," Benny held up his hand, and everyone stopped in place. "I think we have some company."

Dean froze, straining his ears to listen, but he heard nothing. It must have been the vampire's improved sense of hearing. "Where?" He mouthed, silently.

Benny listened further, and pointed with his knife to their left side. Dean grabbed for his own weapon, as did Megan and Nasrin.

The four of them stood in place, weapons tightly gripped in their hands, and waited. And waited. And waited.

And then suddenly...

They seemed to come out of nowhere, but Benny was right, they attacked from their left. There were five or six of them, and they all pounced at once.

One of the larger ones managed to slice Megan's hand with it's teeth, pulling her down into the dirt. One jumped straight onto Dean's back, biting into his shoulder. Dean flipped around and with quite a bit of struggle, was able to throw the vamp on the ground and pin her down. But before he could act any further, another one was on his back. "DEAN!" Megan tried to pull away, but failed.

Benny and Nasrin were also pinned, and it seemed that just as quickly as their little group had formed, it was about to be torn into bits.

"WAIT!" A loud voice rang out. "Stop!" Whoever spoke, the vampires obviously knew who it was, for they immediately halted their attack. They did, however, keep the group in place, not letting go. They all turned to see a woman walking towards them.

She wore ripped jeans and a baggy t-shirt, both stained with blood. Her hair pulled back into a lazy bun. Her fangs disappeared behind dark lips.

"Why are we stopping?" One of the vamps asked, angrily. "They were nothing – an easy target. Why the fuss?"

The woman just squinted her eyes, pointed at Megan. "You, what did you say?"

"M-me?" Megan stared at the woman. "I don't understand..."

"What did you say, just now? Who were you speaking to?"

"You mean Dean?"

Her eyes lit up and she glanced at the hunter on the ground. "Yes, exactly. You wouldn't happen to be Dean Winchester, by any chance?"

Dean felt his stomach twist into knots. This could not be good. "What's it to you?"

"It must be. I figured it might be; you look exactly as Gordon described."

"Gordon?"

"Gordon Walker. You must remember him? You hunted with him once, a long time ago. He's... changed a bit since you last saw him. But he's told me all about you."

Castiel was suddenly hit by a storm of memories. A black man a little older than Dean himself. A hunter. He could see him sitting across the table from Dean, having a drink. He could see him tying up some poor girl – a vampire, apparently – and Dean tying him up the same way. Gordon Walker – a crazy, obsessed hunter. But what did this girl have to do with him? "How do you know Gordon?"

The girl laughed. "Didn't he mention me? I'm his sister."

_**Sorry it took so long to update. I hope this ending was worth the wait!**_


	12. No Rest for the Wicked

Gordon Walker's life went downhill the moment he snuck up behind the Winchesters in Red Lodge, Montana. When he met the boys, they seemed like nothing more than a couple of talented, immature hunters who had just lost their father and were in desperate need of guidance. But it soon became apparent that they were a lot more than that.

They left him, tied up to that chair for days. He was hungry and dehydrated when they finally bothered to call someone to retrieve him. As soon as he was let out, he set out on his plan for revenge.

He began to hunt them down, obsessed with getting them back for what they did to him. He was close to finding them—he had tracked them down to Baltimore, but then the zombies appeared.

As if the monsters out there weren't enough, suddenly dead people were coming back to life and attacking humans. At first he figured other hunters would take care of it, but the epidemic quickly became unmanageable, and all hell broke loose.

He lost track of the Winchesters. It became too hard to find them in the crumbling infrastructure. Instead, he focused on staying alive in the sea of the dead. But eventually, he lost that battle.

He was traveling alone, and he was suffering from sleep deprivation. He hadn't meant to fall asleep in the truck, but at some point his exhaustion overtook him, and he fell asleep, only to be awoken by teeth chowing down on his shoulder.

He managed to fight it off and stab it in the temple, but it was too late for him. He died an hour later. He didn't know what happened to his body, but he could only assume it was still walking around, in search of some poor survivor to chew on.

He thought he was done. He hadn't believed in Heaven, and he didn't think he was going to Hell. He thought his soul would just get lost in the in between, and he would finally be at rest.

But then he woke up here, in Purgatory. He didn't understand _why_ he was here, seeing as how Purgatory was a place for _monsters_, but he had no time to wallow in misery and self-pity. He needed to fight to survive, just like back on Earth. No rest for the wicked, he supposed.

He fought alone for a while. It felt good to kill more vamps, even after death. Until one day (if you can call any amount of time in Purgatory a 'day') he came across a young vampire with golden eyes and dark skin, much like his own. "Erin?"

It was his sister—the sister who had been turned under his supervision, the sister he killed. She seemed just as surprised to see him, as he was to see her. "Gordon? How... How are you here?"

He took a step toward her, but as he did her fangs poked out threateningly. "I don't know."

"Well, did you turn? Are you a Leviathan? Or something else?" Erin kept her distance, although her instincts were telling her to trust him. Growing up they had been as thick as thieves. But that was before the intruder.

She hadn't understood at first. All she knew was that there was a man in her bed, hovering over her with bloodied teeth. She was terrified, but when she tried to call out for her brother, the man covered her mouth and shushed her. He told her not to scream, or else, and uncovered her mouth. Satisfied that she would be quiet, he took out a knife and she was sure that she was dead. But he didn't touch her with the blade.

Instead, he cut the palm of his hand, drawing blood. With his other hand he forced open her mouth, his knees digging into her arm and chest. Forced into compliance, she could taste the iron in his blood as it dripped into her lips.

Things went dark after that. She couldn't remember anything other than bright lights and loud noises and her own lust for human blood.

And then she remembered her brother.

She thought he was there to save her, to tale her back home and away from this man and his ways. But he didn't.

Gordon killed her, and since then, she'd been asking herself why.

She had changed quite a bit since then. Purgatory could do that to a person. Or a vampire. She had to learn to fight for herself, and fight she did.

She had accepted the fact that she would never see her brother again. She could cry and ponder all she wanted, but she would never be able to face him. She would never have the chance to either forgive him, or get revenge. So she let it go.

Until now. "Well? What are you?"

"I'm human, Erin." Gordon answered, still staring at the girl he grew up with, the girl he killed. He didn't think he'd ever see _her_ again, either. He never thought he'd have to face his past. "I'm human."

"That's impossible." Erin spat. "You're lying. If you were human you wouldn't be here."

"You can check me if you want," Gordon offered. "I swear it. I don't know why I'm here."

"I know why," She began quietly, her voice slowly rising in volume. "You may be human, but you're a monster. You killed me, brother! You killed me, and now, you're here, with me again. This is your punishment."

Gordon didn't respond right away. "I didn't kill you. You were already gone, sis. And that _monster_ had replaced you."

"That _monster_ is standing right here. I didn't die, Gordon, not until you got to me. I _evolved_." She pulled her lips into a snarl, showing off her teeth. "I'm stronger than you, now. Faster than you. I could kill you right now, and who knows _what_ will happen to you."

"Fine. Go ahead." Gordon stood up straight, putting his hands out. "Kill me, then. I'm already here, how much worse could it get?" Erin just stood there, and Gordon couldn't read her expression. "Look, I killed you to save you, sis. Look at you, look at where you are!" He gestured to her teeth and then to the trees around them. "I did my damn job."

Erin stared at him, her eyes blank, her lips curved into a frown. Finally she turned around. "I'm not going to kill you, Gordon. Are you coming or what?"

…

Gordon had told Erin about the Winchesters. She knew all that he knew about them. And when her group was attacking a group of loners, and one shouted Dean's name, she took a closer look.

The man was tall, brownish blonde hair and green eyes, and a large build. Sure, that description could have fit a million different guys—but how many Dean's?

Her suspicions confirmed, she thought it best to take him, and his group, back to her brother. She looked to the other man, but he didn't quite figure the other one's description. "Are you Sam?"

"Sam who?" Benny's face assured her he was genuine. No, Sam wasn't here, but hopefully Dean was enough.

"Boys, we're taking them back to my brother."

"What? Why?" One of the group, Darren, complained. "We're the ones who found them! We get to eat first!"

"I said, we're taking them back. _Alive._" she could see Dean's face turning white. Maybe the others were confused, but he knew exactly what was going to happen.

Her men picked up the group, and held them close. They may not have been happy, but they knew better than to make Erin mad.

"Wait, wait!" Dean tried to pull out of the vampires grasp, but he couldn't break free. "Look, I don't know you, but I know your brother. And I know what he did to you. You can't take us to him, okay? You can't."

"What? You think I'm going to let him kill you? Maybe torture you a bit for ruining his life?" Erin grinned. "You've got it all wrong. It's just the opposite. I want _you_ to kill _him_."

_**Thank you for reading! Please review!**_


	13. The Wanna Be King

_**Whoops, sorry! Long wait! Let me know what you're thinking! Thank you!**_

"This is bad news, boy," Bobby muttered quietly to Sam as they were escorted away. "Whatever he says, we c_annot_ trust him.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Sam agreed. Crowley was a demon, and the last demon he trusted... It didn't go so well. And on top of that, Crowley wasn't even a _normal_ demon, if that was possible. Demon's eyes are black, not red. "You got a plan?"

Bobby just grunted. "Don't die."

Sam nodded. "Solid plan."

They had been led into a backroom of the factory that appeared to have been some kind of office. There was a worn desk and three chairs, two on one side of it and one on the other. The demons escorting them let go of their arms and motioned to the two chairs. "The King will see you, soon."

As they demons left, Sam scoffed. "The King. Who the hell is this guy?"

"Who the _Hell_ is right, Moose." Crowley entered the room through one of the side doors, startling them both. He strutted over to his chair, adjusting his suit before sitting down. "You, my friends, are speaking to the King of Hell."

"You tellin' me Hell has a king?" Bobby leaned forward in his chair. He felt uncomfortable having his gum taken, but he could still feel his backup blade against his leg. "And _you're_ it?"

Crowley wasn't deterred by the hunter's demeaning tone. "That's exactly what I'm telling you. You see, I could squish you two like a bug with the snap of my fingers. But I'm not... Yet."

"How thoughtful."

"Why are we here?" Sam asked indignantly. He was nervous, sitting in this room with the demon. There were probably a dozen more waiting for them outside in case something happened. He couldn't wait to get out of here, and report this back to Gabriel.

Normally he would have wanted to stay and take care of this whole mess, but right now he only cared about finding Dean. Gabriel's guy could figure this out.

Crowley eyed him. "You're here because you've been caught trespassing somewhere you really, really should not have been." His voice was calm, his expression void, but his eyes betrayed this obviously false demeanor; he was not someone to be messed with.

Sam met his eyes and shrugged. "We didn't know. If you let us go, we'll be on our way."

"You misunderstand me, Winchester. I'm not keeping you here, not at all. You can leave whenever you'd like." Crowley snapped his fingers, and the doors flew open, exposing the now-empty hallway. Neither hunter budged. "But, if you'd rather stay, I'd allow it."

"What kind of game are you playin' at here, _Crowley_?" Bobby turned back to the demon. "You said it yourself, you can kill us anytime you'd like. And hell, we were trespassing on your property, which, considering what we've seen, is a pretty big of fence. So why haven't you killed us yet?"

Crowley sat up in his chair, folding his hands together. "I know a lot about you two. You've caused quite a bit of trouble in the past, and you've been on a lot of hit lists—including angelic ones. The fact that you're still alive says something. You're smart. You're capable. And I'd be a bloody lunatic to not take advantage of that."

"You want our _help_?"

"Essentially. I could use a couple humans around. You could make good inside men for me."

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was a _deal_. A _demon deal _even. Did this guy actually believe that they would accept the offer? How stupid did he think they were?

Still, Bobby asked, "What's in it for us? We get you information, and what? You agree not to slaughter us?"

Crowley smiled. "See, that's smart right there. But no, consider this a favour from you to me. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

"So you'll owe us one?"

"Exactly."

Sam and Bobby exchanged looks. Part of Sam realized the benefit of having Crowley _owe them one_, especially if he could help with Dean. But the rest of him wanted to hit that part of him over the head. This was a _demon_, for Christ's sake. He's been through this before. And he knew that Bobby agreed by the look on his face.

"Okay,"

"Okay?" Crowley raised his eyes brows. "As in you'll work with me?"

"As long as you'll help us, later," Sam stood, as did Crowley. Sam stuck out his hand to shake. Crowley smiled, obviously pleased with himself, and went to shake on it. As soon as he did, Sam grabbed Ruby's blade with his other hand, and slashed it forward.

Crowley managed to jump backwards in time to save his life, but was not fast enough to avoid getting slashed on his right shoulder. He yelled out in pain, and called for guards.

"Come on!" Sam and Bobby left Crowley to grasp at his bleeding arm. The door to the office and three demons came running in. Sam rammed into the closest one, shoving the blade into his chest. Bobby pushed past the other two, and he and Sam bolted to the exit.

The other two followed behind them. Bobby got to the door first, and he ran through towards the car. Sam turned momentarily to slash at the closest demon unsuccessfully, and then hopped into Bobby's car. They sped away, leaving the last two demons behind.

"Well, that was _exciting_,"

Sam laughed halfheartedly. "Yeah, you could say that. At least now we can report back to Gabriel. Asshole probably knew it all along. Probably thought that Crowley guy would kill us."

"It's gonna take a lot more than a half-assed wanna be king to take us down." Bobby smiled. "Come on, let's get back to the motel, and then we'll call the angel."

…

Crowley sat in his chair, muttering angrily to himself as one of his followers patched up his shoulder. "I knew it was a bad idea to trust them. I should have known they wouldn't have the brains to work with me."

"Well they've made a powerful enemy now, sir," The lesser demon said wearily. "They're going to regret running out on you like that."

"True..." Crowley stared off, thoughtfully. "That they will. I do hope, however, that they're smart enough to leave this place alone. The last thing I need is a bunch of hunters at my door. This whole _biological warfare _thing is taking long than I thought it would."

"We're testing everyday, sir," The demon assured him. "Soon we'll figure out the best formula. And when we do, the humans won't know what hit them."

Crowley nodded, impressed with his own intelligence and certain success. "Excellent."


	14. Sibling Rivalry

_**I know, I know, it's been a long time coming for this chapter. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this story. I've just had a lot of things coming up, and I haven't had time to right.**_

_**Thank you all for being patient! Please do review and let me know what you think! You're reviews are what keep me writing! **_

"You want me to kill your brother?" Dean could really do without the vampire clamping down on his wrists so tightly he was loosing blood flow to his finger tips, but he ignored it for now. "Why don't you just kill him?"

Erin rolled her eyes. "Don't you think I would have if I could? I tried, of course I did! We're talking about my brother, here, who murdered me! I _dreamt_ of the day I would finally be able to slit his vile little throat. But all that planning, all that imagining, that was all before he actually showed up her." When she told Gordon she wasn't going to kill him, she meant it, but not for the reasons she led him to believe. She didn't forgive him, not at all. He murdered her like she was a stranger. Like their whole relationship meant nothing. She could not—would not—let that go, not now that he was here. That was the damage _he_ had dealt himself.

When she saw him in that moment, she was ready. She barred her teeth, and clenched her fists, preparing to pounce like the animal she had become. But something stopped her. Maybe it was the memories of them as kids flooding back into her head. Maybe it was the look in his eyes as he told her to do it. She didn't know, but she didn't much care. She just couldn't do it.

She considered killing him many times since then, but she could never work up the nerve. Then they set up a camp, and made a pack of sorts with other vamps. She thought about having one of them do it, but again, she didn't. Something just didn't seem right.

But this? _This?_ She didn't know whether or not God could see her in this place, whether or not he was watching, but Dean Winchester showing up out of the blue was nothing short of a god damn miracle.

This was her shot. An enemy of Gordon—one he had mentioned several times. He would have no quarrels with him killing her brother. He'd get the job done.

And she couldn't wait for the look on Gordon's smug face when he did it. His worst enemy, ending his life in the one place he never expected to find him. Oh, she would cherish that moment.

As for Dean and the others—they'd be dead the moment Gordon's corpse hit the ground. She couldn't let them live. Or rather, she didn't care to. They were food for the well-fed. Playthings for the entertained. She might as well let _her_ group have a little fun.

"Look, I know you want to. The guy hates your guts, and he'd love nothing more than to shove a blade through _your_ skull, and I'm sure you'd like to do the same. As I said, I'd do it myself, but..." She looked him in the eyes, using the same expression that always got Gordon to do what she wanted when she was little. "He's my brother. I mean, you couldn't kill Sam, could you?"

Dean glared at her, but said no more. She hoped she had convinced him.

"Dean," Castiel's voice rang in Dean's head, as if demanding to be listened to. "What's the plan, here?" _I don't know, dude. Gordon's not a good guy. We certainly cannot trust h__im__. But I don't think we can trust this vampire chick either._ "So, do we kill Gordon, or just make a break for it?" _Like I said, Cas, I don't know. We just... Do whatever makes sense at the time. Whatever gets all of us out alive._

After a while of walking, a small camp appeared in the distance. It looked like something out of Castaway, but it was more structure than they had seen in the rest of Purgatory. Even Megan was impressed. "You guys live here?"

Erin nodded. "If you can call this living."

When they approached the camp, two more vamps—a man and a woman—came to greet them. "You brought lunch?" The woman snarled, licking her lips as she stared at Nasrin.

"No, not for you. I'm taking them to Gordon."

The others scowled in disgust. "The human? What is he going to do with them? Mate?"

"None of your concern, Catherine, now move. Where's my brother?"

Catherine shrugged. "Out. Don't know where. Don't care."

"Come on. Let's take them to his tent."

The vamps got to work tying their hands together with rope before shoving them all into a tiny makeshift tent that apparently belonged to Gordon. The other vampires left, but Erin remained.

She leaned down to Dean and slipped a small knife into his hand. He felt her lips brush by his ear. "When he comes back, take care of it, and then you all can leave." They locked eyes as she pulled away, and as soon as they did, Dean could tell she was lying. As much as she tried, she was an open book. "Gordon will be back soon," She now addressed the whole group. "I'll be here when he does." And then she left.

After a moment of silence, Megan was the first to ask the obvious question. "So, Dean, you want to explain who Gordon is?"

"Yeah, and why the hell we're tied up in this tent?" Benny added.

Dean sighed. "Gordon was a vampire hunter. Sammy and I met him a few years back, right before all this zombie shit went down," Benny gave him a look at the word _zombie_, but did not interrupt. "He's crazy though. That sister of his? She got hunted down by a vampire, and he killed her, no remorse. You can't convince him of anything, trust me, I've tried."

"And why are you his biggest enemy?"

"Well, last time Sammy and I saw him, we kinda left him tied up in the middle of nowhere. Although, to be fair, a couple days later we did call someone to retrieve him."

"Great," Megan couldn't really be annoyed. This Gordon guy seemed like an asshole, and he probably deserved what he got. But she didn't want to end up getting killed by him just because Dean pissed him off years ago. "So, are you gonna do it?"

"Kill him? I guess I have to." Dean shrugged. It wasn't that he had anything against killing the bastard. He hated the guy. But his crazy sister would probably kill them the moment he did it.

He didn't have anymore time to consider his options, because suddenly there was a commotion outside. Everyone went silent as they heard footsteps approaching the tent. A head appeared through the slit, grinning evilly from ear to ear. "Dean Winchester. I never thought I'd see you again." Gordon walked into the tent, glancing around at the tied up group. Dean began secretly cutting at the ropes around his wrists. "I never thought a miracle could come to be in such a godless place, yet here you are."

"It's nice to see you, too, Gordon." Dean could feel the ropes loosen on his wrists. "I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by."

"Yes, Erin told me. You remember me telling you about her, right? My little sister?"

"How could I forget?"

"I suppose it is a memorable story." Gordon looked at the others. "And who are these? Friends of yours?"

"Somethin' like that."

Gordon leaned down so he was at eye level with Dean. "We both know why my sister brought you here, Dean."

The rope was almost cut through. "So you can kill me?"

Gordon grinned. "Yes. She's too good to me. But first, I think I'll start with your friends, here." Without any more warning, Gordon pulled out a makeshift knife, and stabbed it into Benny's chest. Benny yelled out in pain. Gordon tsked. "Making friends with vampires now, are we? What a shame, Dean. I thought you were smarter than that."

"You're an idiot." Benny growled behind gritted teeth. "You said it yourself, I'm a vampire. You can't kill me that easily."

"You didn't see the blade, huh?" Gordon held it up, and it was soaked with blood. "Well, this is your blood. But its not the only blood on there."

Benny's eyes went wide. "Dead mans blood."

Gordon nodded. "Plenty of that to go around, here." Then he turned his eyes to Megan. "Now, back to business. I think I'll start with the pretty one."

As Gordon moved toward Megan, Dean lunged forward, breaking through the last piece of the rope, and bowled into him.


	15. Another Goddamn Vampire Chapter

Gordon was certainly surprised by the attack. He obviously had no idea that his sister may have had an ulterior motive when she tied Dean up.

Dean tried to hold Gordon down, but there was no denying the former hunters' strength. He flipped Dean over, throwing him into the side of the flimsy tent. The whole structure came down on top of them, covering all five of them.

The other vampires saw the commotion, but Erin warned them not to interfere. "This is my brother's fight, not ours."

Dean tightened his grip on the knife. He pushed his way out of the tent and saw Gordon doing the same. Gordon's face was twisted in anger as he stared Dean down. Dean could almost feel the pure hate and contempt radiating off of him right before he leapt, again.

Meanwhile, underneath the tarp, Megan was busy getting out of her restraints. She could feel the skin under the ropes being cut and torn, but she tried not to focus on the pain. She could hear Nasrin and Benny doing the same.

Suddenly, she felt someone on top of her, and she tried to throw them off. "Shh, it's me! Hold still." It was Nasrin. Her longer nails helped her get through the ropes quicker. She untied Megan and then crawled over to Benny, all without exposing herself outside of the tent. There was no reason to have Gordon, or any of the other vampires for that matter, know that they were free just yet.

Gordon had Dean pinned, his fingers clasped dangerously around Dean's neck. Dean was struggling for air, but to no avail. Gordon knocked the knife out of his hands, and it landed a couple feet away.

"I guess this is the end, Dean Winchester. Once I landed in this place, I never thought I'd get the chance to watch the light go out in your eyes. And yet here we are."

Dean grasped at Gordon's hands, but he could feel his strength diminishing. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, and he couldn't fight back. It seemed like the end to him, until out of the blue, a knife was shoved into the back of Gordon's neck.

His fingers relaxed around Dean's neck as Benny pulled his back. Gordon struggled weakly, but with the injury he was no match for the larger vampire. Benny cut through his neck with surprising force until it fell onto the dirt.

Megan and Nasrin emerged from the tent and Dean stood. None of them could lie, they were all surprised it was _Benny_, the _vampire_, who saved Dean. But they didn't have much time to consider the implications of that, because as soon as Gordon was irrefutably dead, Erin signaled the other vampires.

There were only six of them, but they still outnumbered the other group. Megan was able to wrestle one to the ground, while Nasrin took a pole from the collapsed tent and pierced it through it's neck.

Dean was thrown backwards by one of the larger female vampires, who easily overpowered him. She stuck her finger into the bite mark on his leg, causing him to yell out in pain. _Castiel... buddy, I need you!_ He called out into his own head. Just a moment later he felt the angel take control of his body again.

Castiel reached upwards at the vampire and pressed his palm against her head. He didn't need to shield his eyes against the blinding light that exploded from her before she slumped to the ground beside him. He hopped up, and moved on to the next.

Erin watched the other vamps loosing the fight. She let out an exasperated sigh. "I always have to do everything myself, don't I?"

Benny dug his teeth into the last vampire, not letting go until the squirming stopped. He released it, and looked around at the group. Everyone was panting, covered in blood and dirt. But they had all made it, at least. His eyes moved over to Dean, who was kneeling beside one of the bodies. Their eyes met, briefly, before Benny was distracted by movement behind the human. "Dean! Behind you!"

But it was too late. Erin shoved a blade into his his chest, pushing it as far in as she could. "DEAN!" Megan's voice rang out.

Erin grinned, pulling out the blade and letting Dean fall to the ground. Dean moaned, bringing his hand to his chest as blood spurted out of the wound. Megan was by his side almost immediately. Erin just shook her head. "It's too late for that, girl." She raised her knife, ready to strike one more time, when Nasrin came up behind her, and in one powerful swipe, sliced off her head.

Erin's body collapsed onto the dirt, leaving Nasrin standing behind her, breathing heavily, one of the vampires sharpened weapons in her hands.

With the threats gone, her and Benny also ran to Dean's side.

He was still breathing, but his breaths came quick and shallow. "Dean. Dean, can you hear me?" Megan didn't bother trying to hide the tears that fell down her cheeks.

Castiel groaned. "I can... hear you." As an angel he felt less pain from injuries than humans did. But this one was bad, and he was feeling the impact of it. He was weak and hurt, and he couldn't hear Dean anymore. The human had gone radio silent. _Dean... are you okay? Dean?_

Nasrin surveyed his wound. "If she had hit anything vital, he would be dead by now, so there's that," She explained to the group. "But he won't make it. A wound like that in a place like this is a bad combination."

"Then we have to get him out of here!"

"Isn't he an angel?" Benny asked. "Can't he jus' heal himself, or something?"

Megan's eyes went wide. "Of course! Castiel! Castiel, are you there?"

Castiel nodded. "This is me."

Megan ignored the confused stares of Benny and Nasrin. "Can you heal him? Can you keep him alive?"

"I can't... heal him in this place."

"But you can on Earth?"

"Y-yes."

"Then we have to hurry. We have to get to the portal, and get him out of here."

"What about the others? The other humans? We were supposed to go back for them." Nasrin reminded her.

"We'll have to come back for them." Megan frowned. "We won't leave them here, forever, but we have to get Dean out now. If he dies in this place, his soul will be lost forever. I can't let that happen. I won't."


	16. The Better of Two Evils

"Garth, get Gabriel's ass down here, now," was how Bobby greeted the poor hunter once he finally opened his door after over a minute of pounding. "We wanna have a word with him."

Garth stared at them confused, but did as he asked. "Just… give me a minute." He closed his eyes and stood still, seemingly doing nothing. Bobby and Sam exchanged looks, but ultimately decided to let him be, and walked past them to take a seat. Garth stayed that way for an uncomfortably long time, his face twisting in different expressions as if he was having a silent conversation with himself.

"Well hello there, boys." Garth seemed just as surprised as anyone when Gabriel popped into the middle of the room. He smiled down at Sam and Bobby. "By the look on your faces, I'd guess you have some news for me."

Sam stood to face Gabriel. It made him feel more in control to tower over the angel as he did. "You knew, didn't you?"

Gabriel raised his brow. "I'm sorry, knew _what_, exactly? As it turns out, angel or not, I can't exactly read your mind."

"You knew about the zombies! You knew about whatever… operation they have going down over there!"

"Oh, right. That." Gabriel shrugged his shoulders, looking completely apathetic. "Look, I knew that something fishy was going down there, but I didn't know exactly what. I thought I made that clear."

Sam scowled, his trust in the angel getting even lower. "You almost got us killed, asshole."

"It was for a good reason. Besides, you'll be happy to know – and totally grateful to _me_ – that I have stumbled across some information about your brother that may interest you." That got Sam and Bobby's attention. "See, I'm a trustworthy guy. You held up your end of the deal, and now I'm holding up mine."

"Just spill it, Gabriel."

"Fine. I've got it on good authority that Castiel broke your bro outta Heaven."

"He what?" Sam and Bobby asked, simultaneously.

"For some reason, Cassie decided it would be a good idea to return Dean's soul to his body – which is completely against protocol – and then just disappeared."

"Why would he do that? I just saw Dean, as a spirit!" Sam was dumbfounded at the news. It didn't make any sense for the angel to do that. And it didn't sound like something Dean would agree to. "Wait, if Dean was alive again, why wouldn't he just go to Earth?" _Why didn't he come find me?_

Gabriel threw his hands in the air, dramatically. "Hell if I know. You're talking about the idiots who stopped the Apocalypse from happening, despite the majority of the angelic authority having approved of it. You're talking about the angel who pulled a man from Hell in order to do so. Those two are unpredictable."

Sam groaned. "We have to find them. We have to figure out where they are. They may be in trouble."

"I got news for you, Sammy, we're all in trouble. Wherever they are, they aren't on Earth as far as I can tell. That means they aren't in danger of what you two saw in that building."

"Do you know what they were doing in there? With the zombies?" Bobby asked.

"I have a vague understanding. But you two seemed to have confirmed what I hoped was not true."

"They're running some kind of experiments, weren't they?"

"Yup. What did you see exactly?"

Sam and Bobby exchanged looks. Sam explained, "They seemed to be… feeding humans to the zombies. They trapped them in these cages so they couldn't escape."

Gabriel nodded, thinking to himself. "Well, that's good news actually. That means they have yet to pass the human stage."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I have reason to believe that the demons are working on some kind of… biological warfare program against the angels. They seem to think that we are weaker now, after the Apocalypse was called off. Not that I give two shits about most of the angels around here, but… if they do succeed, it would mean problems for _everyone_, including me."

"Biological warfare?" Sam repeated. "Are you telling me that… Crowley, or whatever his name was, thinks that he can turn angels into zombies?"

"It would seem that way."

"But that's not possible! Megan got bit by a zombie, and she was fine! She was immune!"

"Where there's a will, there's a way. Us angels aren't perfect, kid. We have plenty of weakness to exploit. If the demons can find the right ones… this could turn out badly."

"This is insane..." Sam ran his fingers through his hair. All he wanted was to find his brother. He didn't want to get pulled in to another god damn war between angels and demons. Another choice for the better of two evils.

Gabriel frowned, looking up at Sam. "Look, kid. I'm not usually a prasieful kinda guy… but you've got some spirit. You and your brother have taken down some big bads. You stopped the fucking Apocalypse! It's gonna be bad… real bad… if the demons win this one. And I think you're the guy for the job."

"But my brother-"

"Ah- that's where I got you." Gabriel's lips curled into a smirk. "You see… I think your brother might have something to do with this."

"How do you know?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I've got my ways. And I can share those with you… if you agree to help me with this Crowley business."

Sam sighed. He was getting pulled into another deal, but he had to do it. He glanced at Bobby for reassurance, who just shrugged. "Fine. Deal."


	17. Land of the Dead (and Mostly Dead)

_**Alright, guys, this is gonna be a slow one. I have two other in-progress stories I'm working on, and combined they take up a lot of my extra time. Plus, of course, I have to worry about my classes as priority number 1. Basically what I'm saying is that while I really enjoy this story, it's going to be long waits in between chapters, and I apologize for that. But if you're still waiting, and still reading, I really appreciate it. Thanks, and enjoy!**_

* * *

Castiel was very worried about Dean.

Castiel was able to walk, barely, by putting most of his weight on Benny's shoulder. The vampire was leading them to the human portal, which would send Dean home and allow him to be healed. He didn't tell the others, but Castiel knew that they had to hurry, because he could feel Dean slipping away.

The angel had brought Dean back to life in order to save Megan, but it was starting to look like it was a bad idea. If Dean died again, in Purgatory, he would end up some place Castiel could not find him. He would be lost forever, and he did not need that on his conscious.

_Dean, if you can hear me, hold on. We're going to save you I promise._

"So you're telling me this angel is _possessing_ some poor son of a bitch?" Benny accused as they walked. They had been told that _Dean_ was an angel, but as it turned out, they had been lied to.

"With permission." Megan insisted. "Castiel is an angel, Dean is a human. But this was the only way that _both _of them could enter Purgatory."

"But why would you _want_ to come to this place?" Nasrin asked. She wasn't angry that they had lied to her, at all. Honestly, she had expected that they weren't being totally honest with her. From the very beginning _Dean_ seemed a bit off. At least now she knew he was in fact, an angel. Or at least _somebody_ was.

Megan didn't answer, but Castiel did. "It was a rescue mission."

"To rescue the humans trapped here?"

"Whoever we could."

Benny, on the other hand, was a little peeved. Not that he had expected them to trust him, but just because it messed up his plan. He planned on using Dean's body as a way out of Purgatory, but now he wasn't sure he could. He didn't know how many souls could fit in one person.

Regardless, none of that mattered if they didn't get to the portal, soon.

* * *

Dean felt like his head was spinning. Everything was dark, and he couldn't even see his own hand when it was right in front of his face. At least, he was _pretty sure_ it was right in front of his face. He was certainly trying to get it there, but honestly he couldn't tell whether or not he was successful. He couldn't tell if he was actually moving at all, or if he even had a body. It felt like he was nothing more than a consciousness, lost in a sea of nothingness.

He thought he could hear something in the distance, like someone was calling to him, but he couldn't move toward it. It was too far away to make any sense of.

Throughout all of it, Dean had just one thing on his mind. _This is what death feels like._

* * *

"You've been on Earth, recently, haven't you?" Nasrin asked Castiel as they walked.

Castiel nodded.

"What's it like there. Some of the others... they got here much later than I did. They had some pretty horrific stories. I just… I wanted to know if they were true." Nasrin had been bitten very early on, and she had no idea what had happened to the world after she left. In some ways she was lucky – she didn't have to live through the horrors that so many others did. However, ending up in Purgatory, she ended up facing her own horrors.

Castiel frowned. "I don't know what they told you… but they were most likely telling the truth. There was an… outbreak, of sorts. A virus spread over every continent that infected the brain. It killed, and it rose people up again. But when they came back, they were… different."

"You mean like zombies?" Nasrin's eyes widened. "Like real, actual zombies?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

They walked for a while longer in silence as both Nasrin and Benny considered what they had just heard. It hadn't been as shocking to Benny, who had been seeing creatures out of horror movies in real life since he had been turned. But even to Nasrin, who had seen Hellish creatures in Purgatory, it was a lot to take in. "So, when we go back – all of us humans – we're still going to be dead? We won't go back to Earth?"

"I will ensure that you all go to Heaven. It is where you belong."

"We belong on Earth…" Nasrin said, quietly. It wasn't an argument as much as a statement. "Can I see my family, first? Can I see if they are alright?"

Castiel exchanged a glance with Megan. "I'll see what I can do," was all he could say. He was in no position to be making promises he could uphold.

* * *

"_Dean…"_

The voice was getting closer to him, now. He could tell it was a man's voice, but he couldn't tell _who_ it was, yet.

"Hello?" He shouted. He felt a lot better when he actually heard his voice travel. At least he knew he was _real_, still. Even if he couldn't see himself, he was there. "I can hear you! I can hear you!"

"_I know you can hear me, dumbass."_

Dean was startled by the harshness of the voice, and it was then that he actually recognized who it was. "Death?"

Suddenly, Dean felt fingers creep up his shoulder and then lock into place. He felt his whole body go rigid.


	18. An Offer You Can't Refuse

_**Thanks for waiting, guys!**_

* * *

"Spot on." Dean faced Death, who somehow stood before him. He couldn't see anything past him, or anything before him.

"Where am I?"

"Do you not remember?"

Dean thought for a moment, but eventually shook his head. "I don't remember anything. Where I am, why I'm here… I don't even remember anything about me. Or you – how do I know you?"

"You don't. We've never met."

"But I-"

"I know what you are going to ask. 'But I recognize you!' That only makes it even clearer that you don't know what's happening."

"Tell me. Please."

Death sighed, rolling his eyes. "If you insist. You're _dying_, Dean. You're walking into the light."

Dean's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? How can I be dying?"

"You made some pretty dumb decisions. They were noble, I suppose. You were very heroic and all – risking it all for another. That kind of chivalry is dumb – that kind of kindness kills people, Dean. As you can see."

Dean closed his eyes – or at least he was pretty sure he did. "I… I think I can remember a girl…"

"Yes, I'm not surprised. You'll remember sooner or later. But that's all beside the point. I'm not here for you to play catch up. I'm here to give you an offer."

* * *

"How is Dean?" Megan asked. She was worried. Worried because he had risked his life coming to save her – and if they didn't hurry, he was going to lose it, too. "Can you hear him?

Castiel shook his head. "I can't hear him, I can't… I can't even feel him. He's alive, but… barely. We don't have much time." Castiel was worried as well. He knew he should have never brought Dean along on this trip. He was going to go on his own, but… Dean was just so stubborn. But Castiel shouldn't have let Dean bully him into letting him come. He should have held his ground. He knew better.

"We're almost there, don't worry." Benny assured them, although he was only half-sure he was correct. He only had a basic understanding of where the portal was, after all. But he could tell they needed some good news right now – something to keep their hopes up.

"Is there anything we can do? Maybe we can patch him up, more?"

"That won't help. This place is… unclean. It was meant for death. He's too far gone for any regular form of healing. He needs to be _healed_, and they only way I can do that is back on Earth." Castiel could see Megan's face drop, but there was nothing he could do. He had to be honest with her, even if the truth sucked.

"I know… I just… I feel guilty. You guys came all this way-"

"Don't. You have no reason to feel that way," Castiel assured her. "Trust me, Dean wouldn't want you to. He wouldn't blame you in the slightest. You know how he is."

Megan smiled, slightly. "I do. I suppose you're right…"

* * *

"What do you mean, offer? An offer to send me back? To let me live?"

Death raised his brow. "Let you live? Why, Dean, I've already decided to do that. I have no quarrels with sending you back to Earth – or, Purgatory, as it turns out."

Dean stared at him. "You… you are? But you said I was dying!"

"I did. Because you are. But that doesn't mean much when you're a Winchester, does it?" Death reached out and pressed two fingers against Dean's forehead. The instant they made contact Dean jolted backwards as if just the touch of Death had electrified him. Suddenly, Dean could feel his memories rushing back into his head. In just a few seconds, he was suddenly himself again. He looked up to Death. "I'm not offering to let you live. I'm offering to let you die."

"What the hell does that mean? Why would I choose that?"

"Because I know you, Dean. You're tired. You've been through more than most humans go through in a lifetime. Isn't it about time you take a rest?"

"But I'm already dead – technically. I mean, not at the moment – but once we get back to Earth, Castiel's gonna take me back to Heaven. So none of this really matters."

"But it does, Dean. Because if you die in Purgatory, you don't go to Heaven. You go nowhere."

"What does that mean?"

"You simply cease to exist. The ultimate rest, Dean. And it could be yours. Think about it! You've already died. You've already gone to Hell, you've already gone to Heaven. And how has any of that worked out for you? Nothing has changed! Look at you, you're still hunting! You're still fighting the good fight. You haven't stopped moving, and you deserve to. I'm offering you a chance to _stop_, for once."

Dean looked down. He could see himself now, as clear as day. He considered what Death was saying to him, but didn't say anything. He was right – he _was _tired. Sometimes he wished he _could_ just stop. But he never did. He just kept running around in circles, trying to help everyone else. This would be the ultimate selfish move. He would be giving up everyone – everything – and doing this all for himself. He didn't know if he was down for that. But… he couldn't help the appeal of it, either.

* * *

"Look! We've found it!" Benny's voice brought the three other's to attention. They looked to where he was pointing – far past the trees. They could all make out what seemed to be a slit in the fabric of the universe – blue and bursting with energy.

They all ran towards it, as fast as they could. Even Castiel managed to find a little more energy in him. They stood beside the portal, knowing what this meant.

"I have to stay." Nasrin said, as they stared at it. "I can't leave all these people behind."

"We can come back for them," Megan promised. "We will. But there's no point in staying right now."

"No, she's right." Benny commented. "Those people won't make it much longer without help. I will stay with her."

Megan looked to Nasrin for approval. "Are you okay with that?"

Nasrin looked at Benny, who smirked back at her. She didn't completely trust him, but she knew he had no reason to stay behind. It was better for him to leave now. He was giving up a sure shot at freedom in order to help her. She had to respect that. "Yes, of course. But we'll need more than just us. Please… save Dean, and hurry back. We'll need your help.

"We can't." Castiel interrupted. "We can only open the portal from our side during an eclipse. It will be a long time before he have another. There's no guarantee that we will be able to return in a reasonable amount of time."

Nasrin's face dropped. "You're sure there's nothing you can do?"

Castiel nodded. "I would help you more if I could – I swear to you."

"Okay. We can do it ourselves. We have a lot of people out there – some of them are skilled as well. Together, we can make it."

"When you return to Earth – pray to me. I will be able to hear you, and I will come to help."

Nasrin smiled. "Thank you. I will."

"Alright, let's go." Megan grabbed onto Castiel, and helped him forward. As they approached the portal, it grew larger, as if to accommodate them. "You ready?"

Castiel nodded. "Ladies, first."

* * *

"Look, Dean. You're friends back there – they are going to save you. They are going to get you back home, to Earth. And then you're going to wake up from this place, and you'll have to pick up where you left off. And I will let you do that. I will let you make that decision. But this – this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Dean. So, what do you say? What is your answer?"

Dean looked back up at Death. He thought about Castiel and Megan still in Purgatory. He thought about Sam and Bobby, back on Earth. He could give all that up, could he? Sure, he led a hectic existence – but it was only because he was trying to protect the one's he cared about. That was worth it, ten times over. "No. I want to go back. I want to live."

Death let out a disappointed sigh. "As you wish, Dean. Just remember I gave you this choice." Death raised his hand once more, but Dean stopped him.

"Wait, Death… how did I know who you were? I knew the instant I saw you, but… I don't know why."

The corners of Death's mouth curled slightly upwards, his eyebrows raising, ever so slightly. "No one recognizes Death until they are looking him right in the eyes, Dean. You are no different."


	19. Not a Problem, Sweetheart I'm Lovable

_**Whoop… another long wait. Yet, the story continues… **_

Megan had been in Purgatory for a while. When she was suddenly thrown back onto Earth, it was a huge adjustment.

All three of them were flung across the room as they flew out of the portal, violently. Megan threw out her hands to stop herself from hitting the ground, face first. She still hit the ground hard, though, and had to take a moment to get her bearings.

"Are you alright?" Castiel asked, standing. Megan nodded, and had to do a double take as she noticed Castiel was back in his old body once more. She looked around for Dean, and saw him lying face down on the ground between her and the other angel.

"Dean!" They both knelt down beside his body. Megan held his hand in hers as she waited for Castiel to check him out. "Is he still alive?" She almost didn't want to know. If he wasn't – if he had died trying to save her – she didn't know how she was going to live with herself.

He didn't have to come find her. It wasn't his fault she had died – that was her own decision. And she supposed that his death was his own decision as well. As much as she was glad to finally be free of Purgatory forever, she couldn't help but wish he had just left things how they were. Things were as they should before he came in to wreck it all.

But she supposed that's just what Dean Winchester did. When he came bursting into that liquor store years prior, he shook up her whole world. Her life was never the same again. When she laid eyes on him again in Purgatory, she knew he had once again changed everything.

He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be. He'd be stuck in Limbo for eternity. Nobody – not even the angels – knew what was beyond the great beyond. If you die in the afterlife… where do you go from there? She supposed only Death knew that answer. But he wasn't exactly on call.

"He's alive. But only slightly." Megan let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding.

"Can't you heal him? Now that we're on Earth again?" Castiel pressed the palm of his hand on Dean's forehead. A bright light shined beneath his hand, but only for a few seconds. "What's the matter? Why isn't is working?"

Castiel shook his head. "I… I'm not sure. It's like I can't reach him. Like he's far away."

"Far away?" Megan repeated. "What do you mean _far away_? He's right here!"

"I'm aware of our predicament. I just don't know how to answer that."

"Well we have to do something. We have to bring him somewhere safe. You can't bring him back to Heaven like this, can you?"

"No, I'm afraid not. Besides, the angels will be angry enough that I put him back into his body. I'll have to deal with them, first, before I can bring him back."

Suddenly, beneath them, Dean started to cough. He leaned over onto his side, opening his eyes.

"Dean! You're okay!"

Dean didn't answer, but he smiled ever so slightly.

"We made it back to Earth," Megan explained. "You're safe now. Looks like the world's stuck with Dean Winchester, just a little longer."

"N-not a problem, swe-eetheart," He stumbled through his words, clumsily. "I-I'm lovable," and with that, his eyes fluttered closed again, and he went limp.

"Is he okay?"

Castiel looked over him again. "Yes, I believe so. You're right. We need to get him somewhere safe – somewhere on Earth."

"Well, I don't have anywhere to go. Oh! Can we go to Sam? He'd be thrilled to see Dean!"

Castiel frowned. "I'm not sure that's such a great idea. Sam will only want Dean to stay on Earth, and that can't happen. It's better if he… doesn't know. I do have an idea, though."

…

Sam and Bobby were back at Sam's apartment. They had a big job ahead of them – probably the biggest. Gabriel wanted their help in stopping Crowley in his plan for biological warfare. Sam had no idea how they were ever going to do that.

"What are we going to do, Bobby?"

"I don't know, boy. I think this is all a big mistake. I know working with demons is bad, but angels ain't much better. Especially ones like that."

Suddenly, Sam had an idea. "That's it! We take the deal!"

Bobby looked at him incredulously. "The deal with Gabriel? If my memory serves correctly, we already did."

"No, not that one! The one with Crowley. He wanted our help, remember? We need to go back there and accept. It's the only way we can take this operation down – from the inside."

Bobby looked skeptical. "I see your point, Sam, but… I don't know about this. How do we even know Crowley will let us, anymore? We didn't exactly leave on good terms. As far as we know, the next time we step foot on that property, we're dead."

"It's a possibility. But what other choice do we have? Running in there, guns blazing? That's what Dean would suggest… and we'd say he was insane! I just don't see any other course of action, here."

"I know. I can't either. But we can't just put our life on the line like that without being sure the plan will work. We have to be smart about this."

"That's not how Dean would do it. God… he'd already have a plan by now. And it would be the worst God damn plan you ever heard… but at the end of the day, it would work." Sam looked down at his hands. He realized he had been rambling. Every once in a while he would think about his brother, and then he just wouldn't stop. Suddenly, everything and everything had some kind of connection to Dean. The woman he passed in the street was just his type. The bar he drove by was exactly where he'd be. He would have loved the song playing on the radio – or he would have hated it.

"Sam… I know how you're feeling right now. I know you miss your brother. So do I! But we can't make reckless decisions based on your emotions. We have to look out for ourselves right now, because Dean is _gone_. And he isn't coming back."

"Good news, boys." As if on cue, Gabriel appeared in front of them, standing beside Sam's couch. Both men jumped at the sight of him. He smirked at the looks on their faces.

"What the Hell, Gabriel? You can't just do that!" Sam scolded.

"What is the good news?" Bobby asked.

"I think I found Dean."

Bobby and Sam exchanged a glance. "What? How? Where is he?" Sam asked, frantically. "Where is Dean?"

"On Earth, again. Or at least, I think he is. Castiel is back, and I can only assume your bro is with him. I would check for myself, but they've angel proofed the place. I can't get in."

"Can you at least take us close by?"

Gabriel nodded. "That I can do."


End file.
